WURTSBORO – A crowd of several hundred concerned parents turned out this past Thursday to hear Dr. Patrick Michel, superintendent of the Monticello School District, discuss the district's options for closing a $3.5 million budget gap — one option meaning the possible closing of Emma Chase Elementary School.

For those unfamiliar with this story, Dr. Michel has been attending various local government meetings — as well as holding special meetings, such as Thursday's — in an effort to bring members of the community into a dialogue with the district. Dr. Michel appears to be going out of his way to involve parents and taxpayers in the tough decisions that lie ahead — if the district is to close the budget gap, and do so in the most equitable manner possible.

While most of the news was bad, there were a few rays of hope in Michel's comments. One of the biggest surprises was the fact that this year the district will not have to make up a shortfall in the Teachers' Retirement System (TRS). The TRS is the state fund from which teachers draw their pensions. And it has been a rough year for the fund, which has lost between $6-7 billion in the stock-market slump. Normally, the district would have to kick in money to make up for this loss. But Albany has decided to roll this over onto next year's budget, giving school districts across the state a little breathing room. The pension-fund shortfall would have to be made up in 2010, however.

Dr. Michel, as he has done at the other meetings, also outlined the austerity measures that the district is considering. These include, other than the Chase closing, the closing of Cornelius Duggan Elementary in White Lake, school-tax increases, and an increase in the distance students must walk or be driven to catch the school bus. The latter of these measures would see walking distances for elementary students increase from a quarter-mile to a half-mile, and secondary students from a half-mile to a mile. According to Michel this would save approximately $500,000 per year, and would have little effect on Wurtsboro because most Chase children already walk to school. Michel also said that, in the past, there has been a certain amount of inequity as to how this rule was enforced, and that the district is now looking to ensure that the rule is enforced fairly from this point forward.

The increased distances, however, would mean that parents of children who attend Monticello schools would be faced with greater burdens when it comes to getting their children to school.

"It will mean some inconvenience to the community," Michel said.

It would also mean that local communities would be responsible for providing crossing guards, a service which the school district is not required to provide. He cited other districts that have developed volunteer programs to provide crossing guards for the community. In many cases, retirees have been ideally situated for this type of volunteer work.

Michel said he was also waiting to see the outcome of the stimulus package negotiations in the nation's capitol. The House version of the stimulus bill contained money for education; however, the Senate version removed this provision from the bill.

While it appears that during the conference committee at least some of this money made it back into the bill the president signed this past Monday, it remains to be seen just how much. Michel was also quick to point out that those who govern have been known to change their minds, so it is unclear whether any of this stimulus money will make it into the district's dwindling coffers.

Whether or not the stimulus bill will have a positive effect on the Monticello School District should become clear in the next several months, as Congress will require that a significant portion of the stimulus allocation be spent within 45 days.

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