Scotia-Glenville board adopts Option C line-item budget, keeps two reading teachers; librarian position cut for one year

The Scotia-Glenville Central School District Board of Education adopted Option C as its line-item budget for the 2025–26 school year at a final budget work session, preserving two reading-teacher positions while leaving the district without a full-time librarian for the coming year.

The decision followed a motion by Board member Kim Furnish to reconsider the board's May 27 vote on Option B so trustees could reopen discussion. After brief staff explanations and member discussion of where reductions would fall, the board took a roll-call-style affirmation of Option C and adopted it as the district's line-item budget.

Why it matters: The board and district officials said the adopted package reduces the district's line-item spending to meet the board-approved cap while prioritizing reading support for students. Board members repeatedly warned that if voters reject the budget in June and the district must operate under a contingent budget, state rules would force more automatic cuts to staff and programs.

District staff described the mechanics of Option C. According to district staff, Option C removes funding for one librarian position (the salary-only portion cited in discussion was $63,494) but preserves two reading-teacher positions. Staff said the librarian salary plus benefits equates to roughly $90,000 in total compensation, and that the roughly $98,000 in salary-and-benefit savings from not backfilling three positions in an alternative scenario was redistributed to reduce pressure in building-and-ground staffing, transportation, and special-education tuition lines.

Susan (staff member) told the board the administration and the superintendent met with the individual employees potentially affected this spring and encouraged them to ensure their certification status is current. “We have to honor our obligations to provide whatever is required by New York state law and regulation to our students,” Susan said, describing district obligations for special education and state reporting.

Board member Pam said she did not like losing the librarian but favored preserving the two reading teachers. “If I have to give up something, I would rather give up the librarian for this 1 year and keep the reading teachers because I think the reading teachers are really important for our kids,” Pam said.

Board members and staff flagged other line-item changes: a $15,000 reduction tied to the School Resource Officer (SRO) offset (discussed as a town contribution that reduced district spending in the adopted option), reductions in substitute/monitor lines (about $30,000 removed), and a reduction in the special-education BOCES tuition line (discussed in the meeting as a negative $55,000 entry relative to prior years). Drew (staff member) cautioned that transportation and some other lines have limited cushion; he described budget numbers as “a best guess” as placements and program needs change.

Trustees repeatedly emphasized that the immediate priority is getting the budget approved by voters. Board member Jerome urged community outreach, saying that if the budget “goes down again, we have to go to a contingent budget. And that'll mean staff cuts, it'll mean athletic cuts, it'll mean extracurriculars. Things are gonna be gone.” Several trustees noted that a contingent budget triggers state-mandated limitations on what can be spent and which programs can be preserved.

Board members discussed longer-term options including a committee to study potential school consolidations if enrollment declines continue. District leadership said staff will pursue attrition when possible and examine program and facility reconfigurations before proposing formal school closures.

The board directed staff to publish Option C materials for public review and to provide updated third-quarter financial projections at the next meeting. The board will present the adopted line-item budget to voters at the scheduled budget vote; trustees urged outreach to explain what Option C contains and why certain positions were prioritized.

Votes at a glance: the board adopted Option C as the line-item budget for 2025–26 during the work session; the motion to reconsider the May 27 vote was made by Kim Furnish and seconded, and the board later recorded its support for Option C in a roll-call affirmation during the meeting.