Syracuse Superintendent Sharon Contreras presented her first budget proposal for 2012-2013 on Wednesday night to the Board of Education. It's a $373 million spending plan.
Right now, the district is facing a $35.1 million deficit. The district blames unfair state aid and a $4 million dollar hike in pension costs for the gap.
Exactly how the hole is going to be filled is a major question hanging over the district. But there is already talk about more staff reductions, a move the district also made every year for the past few years. Last year 464 positions were eliminated. More than half of those jobs were through attrition or not filling empty positions, and about 200 district employees were laid off.
In a letter to the Commissioners of Education, Contreras said "Such a substantial decrease in staff is disheartening and could undeniably prohibit us from providing high, quality education for all students," she said. "We are committed to strategically reducing costs, improving efficiency, and most importantly prioritizing our limited resources to ensure that we improve educational outcomes. But we cannot and will not do it without your support."
Board of education members called the budget presentation sobering. The next few weeks they will go through the budget line by line and try to find ways to fill the deficit.
