EMPORIUM — Curriculum changes are anticipated as Cameron County School District board members attempt to balance the 2017-18 budget.
About 50 people attended Thursday’s school board meeting to speak against proposed cuts to education at the Cameron County High School. Members have been attempting to cut additional expenses from a budget initially projected to fall more than $300,000 short of anticipated revenues.
The nearly $12.3 million budget will still be about $150,000 more than projected revenues, despite the suspension of two high school teachers. Science and technology teacher Thomas Gelnett and English teacher Margaret Sensenig were both “suspended,” according to the resolution unanimously passed on Thursday night.
The resolution also discontinued instruction in German language and reduced the number of courses offered in the technology and engineering education department.
Taxes will be increased by 1.2 mils, to a new total of 44.33 mils, to be assessed on all real property within the school district limits. In addition, the Earned Income Tax of 1 percent, the Realty Transfer Tax of 1 percent, a per capita tax of $10, and a per capita tax of $5, will continue to be levied against residents.
Member Rob Aversa was the lone dissenting vote against the budget. Aversa said he voted against it due to concerns over raising property taxes on residents of the county with the highest unemployment rate and the oldest median age in the state, among other demographic issues.
Parents, and current and former students spoke out against the cuts to curriculum, questioning why other items, such as sports, extracurriculars, transportation, subsidizing costs at the pool, or new carpet installation for the school offices, were not cut first.
President Daryl Richardson stated that the cuts were not made lightly, but programs had to be cut in order to come closer to balancing the budget.
Initially, the board had intended to suspend the German teacher, but the resolution was changed to list Sensenig instead of Kristen Les at the beginning of the meeting. Despite the change, the board did not revisit the termination of the German program. Richardson stated that they would work with Les and other affected teachers to come up with a solution.
For now, the plan is to offer an introduction to French course and one year of French language instruction rather than a full four-year German course as had previously been offered.
The board did vote to accept a quote from Jim Stellabuto’s Everything Under Foot to install new carpeting in the elementary and high school building offices at a cost of $8,450. The track will also be relined at a cost of $10,000, though $9,500 of those funds are being provided by the Mee Foundation.
Several parents spoke through tears as they addressed the board over their concerns with the educational cuts; others were angrier, calling for the board to “get rid of the bad teachers” instead of the two who were being cut.
The board also approved the Teutech Tax Assessment Appeal settlement, which brings the real estate valuation of the light industrial property at 227 Barton Road down to around $800,000, with an assessed value of $547,297 for taxation purposes. Board Secretary Carl Mitchell stated that the district will lose approximately $19,000 per year in tax payments due to the lowered valuation. The district will also have to refund money for each year they overpaid, as the settlement is retroactive to the filing of the suit.
New doors will be installed at the Woodland Elementary School at a cost of $15,995. The current doors are not ADA compliant.
The board approved payment of the district’s bills in the amount of $653,533.05.
The next regular meeting of the Cameron County School District Board of Directors will be held at 7 p.m. July 13. There is no workshop meeting in July; the next one will be held at 7 p.m. Aug. 3. All meetings are held in the high school library and are open to the public.
