COVID-19 challenges school budget

DUNDEE--Dundee Central School District Superintendent Kelly Houck said during the Thursday, Jan. 14 board of education meeting the district is coordinating with the Yates County Health Department to host COVID-19 vaccination clinics in the coming weeks. While unable to say at the time of the meeting exactly when those clinics would take place or how registration will work, Houck said information will come out once it is made available.
"I am also thrilled to announce that students will return on Tuesday, Jan. 19 and we can't wait to welcome everyone back," Houck said after Dundee had transitioned to full-remote learning after Christmas.
In just two weeks circumstances have improved to such an extent that the Yates County Health Department saw no reason for us not to reopen.
"From just two weeks ago we went from 25 teachers in quarantine to just one and 80 students to just two," Houck said. "So we are just really excited and we got assurance from the health department that this is the time to return."
Business Administrator Melissa Lawson spoke during the meeting and cautioned about the financial picture for the district during a preliminary budget presentation for the board.
"More information is needed to provide an estimate of where we are going to be," Lawson said. "I also can't provide a revenue estimate because we don't have it because there are a lot of unknowns."
Among those are a large increase in costs incurred through the staff medical insurance, a dramatic decline in grant funding leaving the district on the hook for costs incurred until that funding is made available and the unknowns of how much funding the state will provide especially for next year but also the current year.
"We are not whole in terms of state aid for the current year," Lawson said. "Hoping we are made whole, if not starting the new year in a deficit situation, [we] not only have to make up what we didn't get but what we need to fund operations for next year."
As a result, Lawson said the district will formulate the budget for 2022 using the 2021 budget as a template. In order to offset expected cost increases, Lawson said department heads and principals have been informed they will have to work within the parameters of the current budget for next year as well.
"We put a hold on all equipment purchases in the new year," Lawson stated. "Originally we had provided for the purchase of a replacement pickup truck, we deferred that. It's not a good place to be but it's fortunate we have items we can put on hold until the uncertainties are resolved or unknown."
Further challenging the revenue picture are expectations that the state tax cap for property tax increases will be the lowest it has been in years, limiting how much districts can raise taxes without overriding the cap.
"This is unprecedented, it is the lowest increase in years. It is not great news," Lawson said.
Houck added the tax cap was only meant to be temporary and was soon made permanent by the state legislature.
"It's something we will have to continue to contend with forever unless there is a legislation change," Houck said.