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Times of Ti
May 2, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
Ticonderoga schools cut teaching jobs Other cuts likely as system deals with budget woes By Tim Rowland STAFF WRITER
New York State Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul
File photo
Hochul: No definite date to reopen North Country By Joshua Miner CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PLATTSBURGH | New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul explained the implications of reopening the region last Wednesday during a Town Hall “tele-call” with the North Country Chamber of Commerce, stating that while cases of COVID-19 remain low here, it is still too soon to set a definitive date for local businesses and schools to open. “We are unveiling a strategy,” Hochul said. “We just don’t have the answer on dates yet.” With recent pop-up tests at Plattsburgh’s Market 32 and across the state, Hochul said they will now begin to have an idea just how widespread this virus is throughout New York. At a press briefing held last Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled the preliminary results of these tests. While New York City and surrounding areas showed as many as 21 percent of people having the antibodies, only 3.9 percent of those tested in the rest of the state were positive. Hochul said the tests are crucial for reopening New York, as the antibodies show who may have contracted and then successfully fought off the virus. These individuals can be more resistant to catching and spreading COVID and would be considered safer candidates to return to work. According to researchers, many people have contracted the virus without any symptoms. Through the antibody tests, Hochul said, a clearer picture of COVID’s true impact on the state will emerge. Although numbers for upstate New York are much lower than in New York City, Hochul explains that we may be behind the curve in the North Country. As a result, she explains the reopening of New York state will need to be done on a region by region basis.
TICONDEROGA | The Ticonderoga Central School Board, facing “dire” financial circumstances, eliminated eight full time and two part time positions last week, including music, English, art, K-six and business teachers, and support staff. At a solemn video meeting Thursday, board members said they regretted the financial conditions that necessitated the dismissals. “These employees have been valuable assets to our program, and these are never decisions we want to have to make,” said Board Member Tracey Cross-Baker. And with probable impending state cutbacks due to the coronavirus pandemic, a bad situation is likely to become worse, administrators said. The board’s budget had never fully recovered from the previous year, when health-insurance costs delivered a major hit, and town voters rejected a proposed spending plan that would have shored up finances by breaking the tax cap. To save money, the board began work on a plan last year to fold middle school students into the high school. At the time administrators said the move — which will become effective in the coming school year — would lead to a reduction in employees, which is the system’s largest expense. The reductions in staff will save $542,000 and go toward closing a $1.6 million deficit in the
In a cost savings move, Ti middle school students will attend class in the high school this coming school year. File photo
current year’s budget. The board also agreed to put $500,000 in fund balances toward the deficit and approved another $32,000 in miscellaneous cuts. Lower-than-expected health insurance costs will save another $280,000.
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With its savings accounts largely depleted, the That still leaves $246,000 to be cut in order to come in under the tax cap, and does not take board also approved a short-term $2.5 million into consideration potentially devastating cuts loan to cover expenses until school-tax revenues in state aid due to the considerable expense arrive in September. of battling COVID-19. The Laurie Cossey, the school The reality of this process extent of those expected system’s business adminreductions on next year’s istrator, said such a move is we face the probability budget won’t be known is not unprecedented, but of cutting or the reduction of more until early May. But early generally the schools borrow programs before the school year indications are not good. the money out of its fund balstarts and once again mid-year.” ances to bridge the summer. The state has spent heavily to fight COVID—Superintendent John Donohue By this time, the board 19, and some of these would typically have next costs are expected to result in cuts to state aid. year’s budget penciled in, but there is little point “We will be addressing further reductions yet without knowing the scope of potential state to reach our allowable tax funding cuts. The state has announced there will cap after receiving that be three “measurement periods” after which local information,” said Interim funding will be reassessed. The first measurement S up e r i n t e n d e n t Jo h n ended April 30; the second includes the months Donohue. “Every reduction of May and June and the third encompasses the in any area is a loss to stu- second half of the year. dents and our community, “The reality of this process is we face the and we take this very seri- probability of cutting or the reduction of more ously. There are no good programs before the school year starts and once cuts — everything is impor- again mid-year,” Donohue said. “The governor tant to someone.” also said that without more federal assistance, Last month the state passed we could face up to a 20% reduction of state aid.” a $177 billion budget that The result, he said, would be “devastating to grants the governor authority all public schools.” to cut funding to local govern“We do not want to lose any opportunity for our ments, including schools, on students, but the reality is we will lose programs, a rolling basis throughout the year, depending on both academic and extra-curricular,” Donohue said. how state revenues are shaping up. “The question right now is how much. We will wait “Now with the costs associated with COVID- until we have firmer numbers from the governor’s 19, our issues become dire,” Donohue said. office to make our next set of difficult decisions.” ■
UVM network offering coronavirus testing From News Reports ELIZABETHTOWN | The University of Vermont Health Network-Elizabethtown Community Hospital will offer byappointment COVID-19 testing at its Elizabethtown and Ticonderoga campuses. The hospital’s testing service will be available to people with respiratory symptoms or other symptoms suggestive of COVID-19, those with exposure to a suspected or confirmed case and to those whose return to work depends on a negative test result. According to Dr. David Clauss, UVM Health NetworkElizabethtown Community Hospital chief medical officer, the hospital has expanded eligibility for testing because there is now secure access to testing supplies. “Testing and isolating positive cases is the best way for us to avoid a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in Essex
County,” said Essex County Health Department Director Linda Beers. The Essex County Office of Emergency Services recently received 75 COVID-19 test kits, the second such shipment from the state. “The latest shipment will bolster testing capacity in the region,” said Beers. Appointments for the hospital’s testing service will be available daily from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the UVM Health Network’s Elizabethtown Community Hospital and its Ticonderoga Campus. To schedule an appointment in Elizabethtown, call 518873-3069. To schedule an appointment in Ticonderoga, call 518-585-3927. In-person and telehealth appointments are also available at the hospital’s health centers located in AuSable Forks, Elizabethtown, Westport and Willsboro. The health centers are accepting new patients and offering next-day appointments. For more information, call 518-873-6896. ■
Essex County Health Department releases updated virus numbers ELIZABETHTOWN | Updated information on COVID-19 case and test results as of Saturday, April 15, are as follows: Total Positive Cases 41 (up from 32). Total Confirmed 27 (up from 18). Total suspect 14 (no change). Testing results: Number of persons tested 261 (up from 197). Positive results 27 (up from 18) . Negative results 234 (up from 179). Essex County towns with positive or suspected positive results are Crown Point, Elizabethtown, Essex, Jay, Keene, Moriah, North Elba, St. Armand, Schroon, Ticonderoga and Westport. To view the detailed breakdown of this data, visit co.essex.ny.us/Health/. ■
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