2017-18 preliminary budget shows shortfall
By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
The Liverpool Central School District is not holding its breath for a windfall in state aid for the next school year.
During his 2017-18 budget presentation at the Feb. 27 board of education meeting, Superintendent Mark Potter said, while state aid likely will increase some, that increase won’t be much.
“One of the things that has been said loud and clear [is] we’re not going to get a number as high as last year’s,” Potter said.
Potter said the district faces a “substantial gap” between appropriations and revenue. While he emphasized that last week’s presentation was by no means the budget on which the BOE will vote in April, Potter projected that appropriations for 2017-18 would total $153,665,412, which represents a 3.15 percent increase over the current budget’s $148,975,797.
Salaries and employee benefits make up the lion’s share of Liverpool’s budget, more than $120 million of the nearly $154 million budget.
As for revenue, Potter’s current projection for 2017-18 is $149,755,034, which is an increase of 0.52 percent over the 2016-17 revenues of $148,975,797. Potter said he does not expect the estimate for the 2017-18 tax levy to change for the final budget. Next year’s maximum allowable tax levy currently is calculated at $82,835,071, which represents roughly a 2.5 percent increase over the current year’s tax levy.
After property taxes, state aid is the other primary driver of revenue for the school budget. The current projection for state aid for Liverpool is $62,175,483, or 1.94 percent more than the 2016-17 school year, but the district likely will not have final state aid numbers until April.
Potter criticized the state for its perennial unpredictability when it comes to school aid. The uncertainty makes it difficult for Liverpool to expand programming or put money aside for other projects.
“Unfortunately, some of those are on hold until the state gets its act together,” he said. “It’s ridiculous for us to look at budgets based on this model.”
BOE Vice President Neil Fitzpatrick said Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desire for an on-time budget may be stronger than state legislators’ resolve to negotiate. While an April 1 budget would solidify state aid numbers in time for the BOE’s April 24 budget vote, Fitzpatrick said some legislators “cave in the 11th hour” to meet the governor’s deadline.
“Maybe it’s time for the legislature to flex its muscle when it comes to that on-time budget,” he said.
Potter urged the public to attend the March 9 “Educating Our Future” forum, which is a joint effort with the North Syracuse Central School District. He also encouraged residents to contact state senators and assemblymembers to impress upon them the importance of revising the state’s foundation aid formula to be more equitable to schools across the state.
“In six years, between the gap elimination adjustment and the foundation aid calculation, Liverpool has lost just about $100 million in aid that won’t ever be returned back to the district,” Potter said.
