CIRCLEVILLE – Ever since the financial meltdown on Wall Street, everyone in New York State who keeps an eye on the news has known that something like this was coming. And still, it was a shock to see the Power Point graphic on the screen at the Circleville Middle School Auditorium during February 24's School Board meeting. "State Aid Cuts Potential Layoffs" was the title, but the fear is growing stronger every day that the word "potential" is just a fig leaf covering the harsh reality.

Phil Steinberg, Superintendant of Pine Bush Schools, noted that the Economic Stimulus Plan had produced some moneys for the district under Title 1 and IDEA. "Originally it was $1.2 million, but now it's just $800,000." That won't stop the cuts. "We're looking now for stabilization funds; that's what we really need."

Without more money from the state, the district will cut 56 full-time teaching positions, as well as 36 teaching assistants and 7 monitors. Since there are about 500 teachers in the district, that represents an 11 percent cut in the teaching staff.

Joan Carbone, Assistant Superintendant for Instruction, reiterated several times that these figures are "our preliminary estimates." And if the district gets the money it is hoping for from the state, then 24 teaching positions would be reinstated, along with 16 teaching assistants and all 7 monitors.

Compounding the problem, as Assistant Superintendant for Administrative Services Deborha Brush showed in her presentation on the demographic situation in the district, is that student numbers will decline from the present 5,969 to 5,763 by the 2013-14 school year. Declining enrollments would most likely produce cuts for teachers even if there weren't the horrendous economic situation affecting the state this year.

Teacher representatives at the meeting, led by PBTA President Carla McLaud, voiced considerable dissatisfaction with the budget and the potential cuts it lays out. "I think this presentation has been inappropriate," said McLaud, during the public participation section of the meeting. "Program and staff cuts like these would be devastating to our schools' reputation. More attention should be paid to retirements to save layoffs."

Jim McIntyre said there needed to be a study of whose fault it was that the district was in this situation. But he made clear that "I don't think this is Phil Steinberg's fault. People need to know how and why this happened."

One response to those remarks came from Mark Mitchell, a former school board member. "We've overspent. I sat on the board, and we went up $19 million while I was there." Mitchell blamed years of budgets that were anything but conservative. He also said that it's likely that this situation will be permanent. "State money is never coming back."

Karen Gormley said, "I am not impressed with this budget. I believe it has New York City accounting practices all over it. Mr. Steinberg came up from New York City and he has brought that with him. I believe this budget undervalues Pine Bush Schools and our educational experience. Cutting manpower is a favored quick fix, and I think the board of education's class size policy dovetails into this budget. I don't believe Mr. Steinberg has been here long enough to understand this school district. In three years he will be leaving and we will be living with the carcass of Pine Bush Schools. You are gutting the district."

Board President John Jay Anthony spoke up in defense of Mr. Steinberg. "Zero budgeting is not restricted to New York City, and it isn't something that Phil Steinberg invented. We felt as a board that $99.5 million was enough to run this district."

Mr. Steinberg also responded. "I'm an educator, not an accountant. I would rather do anything else than cut a teacher's job. I came here because of the high reputation of Pine Bush Schools. None of us expected this economic crisis."

Greg McAvoy wanted to know what the exact process was that had been used to determine class size. Like many teachers in the auditorium he had assumed that the board's new policy on class size would mean classes of 30 students.

Roseanne Sullivan said, "We responded to complaints from teachers that there were too many really small classes, of ten or less, while other teachers had classes that were much bigger than that. The initial impetus for this came from the teachers."

Joan Carbone said, "The average class size we're hoping for will actually be 25 or less, not 30."

Joe Zankl, former board member, said, "I am sure that Mr. Steinberg and the board worked diligently on this. We are in a very bad recession, people are losing their 401Ks, they're losing their homes, everybody has to tighten their belts, and Pine Bush School District has to do the same."

At the close of the public session, Superintendant Steinberg said, "We have heard several calls for more creative solutions. Okay, we have presented this budget in all the schools, except the high school, and again today for everyone. We have tried to be as creative as the law allows us. So, come up with some creative solutions for me. I'll be happy to talk with you about them, but at the end of the day, you can't spend money you don't have. I'm a realist, and that is the situation we face."

The budget process will continue. The district is hoping there will be retirements, which will enable some of these cuts to be cancelled. And there remains the hope that money will filter down from Albany from the President's Economic Stimulus Package that may also enable the district to reduce the number of cuts.

The board of education meets next on March 10 at the Pine Bush High School cafeteria.

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