November 17, 2010, 11:30 a.m.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The projected $50 million budget gap Syracuse schools are facing next year is a record high. That has prompted the distrcit to seek advice from outside consulting firms about the budget for the first time.
Vice President of the Syracuse School Board, Patricia Body, says the state of New York's own financial problems are the cause of Syracuse's predicament.
"Because the state had a shortfall," Body said, "they held back our share of funding so that they could balance their budget and that kept making us fall behind."
The budget shortfall may be exacerbated by the current economic climate, but Body considers it to be a deep-seated problem.
"The formula for the state is proportionally not fair because the suburbs have a higher tax base and urban schools do not," she said. "So often times the urban school need more money, but the state's funding doesn't allow that."
Body hopes that urban schools receive more money once Andrew Cuomo takes over as governor. In the meantime, here are some proposed solutions to the budget gap:
- Increasing class size.
- Reducing employee benefits.
- Taking away automatic pay raises for teachers.
- Closing certain schools.
The Superintendent, Daniel Lowengard, has until January 12 to prepare a budget, at which point he will take it to the School Board for approval.
To listen to an NCC radio news report on this topic, as well as soundbites from Patricia Body, click below.
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