Eagle Bulletin 75 cents
Home of the Parker family
H Your guide to the eastern suburbs Fayetteville Manlius Minoa dEwITT East Syracuse Jamesville
Opinion
F-M turf field funding Viewpoints on Cuomo’s gap narrowed ... Page 6 budget proposal ... Page 4 eaglebulletin.com Volume 125, No. 6 Feb. 9 to 15, 2011
Work accident kills employee
The opening production in Manlius Pebble Hill’s 2011 “Schoolhouse at the Red House” series has been rescheduled. Originally scheduled for Tuesday Feb. 8, “Time to Dance: A Choreographic Collection” will now be presented at 8 p.m. Tuesday Feb. 15 at Red House arts and cultural center in Armory Square. Event is free and open to the public.
Calendar �������������������2 Classifieds �������������� 15 Editorial ��������������������4 Obituaries ��������������� 10 School news �������������6 Sports ������������������������9
call: (315) 434-8889 x342 email:subscriptions@cnylink.com new subscribers only
682.7736
FREE ESTIMATES P.O. Box 179, Manlius, NY 13104 info@dimonconstruction.com www.dimonconstruction.com
Running strong Schools react to cuts in Cuomo’s budget proposal By Tami S. Zimmerman editor@eaglebulletin.com
An industrial accident at B&B Lumber in the town of DeWitt Feb. 9 left one person dead. Employee Thomas O. Pelton, 35, of Camden, was killed when a piece of equipment he was servicing was started by another employee. The employee did not realize he had started the machine and was unable to turn it off before Pelton was killed. There were no other employees in the immediate area at the time. The incident remains under investigation, DeWitt police said.
MPH show at Red House re-set
20 weeks home delivery for $10
07585
Schools
Marnie Carter
The F-M Girls Cross Country team huddle at the Nike Track Nationals last season. F-M alum Kathy Parker gives kudos to school’s program. For story, see page 8.
Women celebrated in new publication
Syracuse Woman Magazine launch held at Ophelia’s Place By Jennifer Wing Ophelia’s Place in Liverpool was the perfect setting for the launch of Syracuse Woman Magazine, the only magazine for Central New York professional women Friday Feb. 4. The mission of Ophelia’s Place is to empower “individuals, families, and communities to redefine beauty and health through initiatives that increase self-esteem.” The mission of SWM See Magazine, page 8
Farah Jadran editor-in-chief
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s budget proposal introduced Feb. 1 comes as no surprise to officials within the FayettevilleManlius and East Syracuse Minoa school districts. “Since last July, the [F-M] district has been working on a plan to reduce the budget in anticipation of less state and federal aid,” said Superintendent Corliss Kaiser. “Thus far, $2.6 million in reductions have been identified.” If Cuomo’s plan goes through, it will cut state education aid by $1.5 billion to $19.4 billion, a 7.3 percent drop. Locally, ESM is projected to take an 18 percent cut in state aid; the F-M School District is scheduled to lose $3.1 million. Kaiser said the district is considering reductions and efficiencies in all areas as
well as a tax levy, which residents will be responsible. She emphasized; however, that “the burden of this proposal will not be placed solely on the backs of our students or our taxpayers.” Outside of state, federal and local funding, there are limited sources of revenue for school districts. Grants are available, but often schools with average resources are not considered for this source of funding. Additionally, grant funding is often only considered for specific projects, not total program funding. “Private funding is accepted through our F-M Foundation or through private donations to the district,” Kaiser said. “However, the donations are generally not large enough to close budget gaps.” In addition to major cuts in state aid, Gov. Cuomo has proposed a 2 percent cap on property taxes. Designed to proSee Budget, page 8
F-M to hold budget sessions The Fayetteville-Manlius School District would lose more than $3.1 million in state aid from this year to next under the budget proposed by Governor Andrew Cuomo Feb. 1. Cuomo proposed a $1.5 billion reduction, or 7.3 percent, in total state education expenditures to cope with New York’s serious fiscal problems. That reduction is in actual, year-to-year dollars – not through a slower-than-planned rate of increase. The governor’s budget proposal contained a series of elements that would impact school districts across the state, from limiting reimbursements for special education summer school to the prospect of some relief from mandated expenses that drive up costs. The proposed $3.1 million loss in state aid for F-M, combined with increased costs such as salaries, health insurance and required pension contributions, means that the district is heading into the development of the 2011-12 budget with a plan to reduce approximately $2.6 million due to this shortfall. District officials will hold two community budget forums to talk about
E xcEllEncE 2011 Bring Your Story To Our Readers... Feb. 2-23
8 Unique Editions • 7 Local Newspapers: Baldwinsville Messenger, Star Review, Eagle Bulletin, Cazenovia Republican, Skaneateles Press, Eagle Observer, The Eagle
these necessary reductions. The first was scheduled for 10 a.m. Feb. 8 at the Manlius Library. The second is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 17 at Enders Road Elementary School, 4725 Enders Road, Manlius. “We anticipated a significant reduction in state aid, and we knew that the federal dollars would not be renewed,” said Michael Vespi, assistant superintendent for business services. “We’ve been working on corresponding budget reductions since July so we can attain a reasonable tax levy that will continue to support high quality programs and services for our students.” This would represent the third straight year that F-M saw a decline in educational funding from the state; aid was essentially flat the year prior to that. Federal stimulus funding for education, which helped offset some of the aid shortfalls of the previous two years, is no longer available. The district made more than $2.8 million in budget cuts and operational efficiencies last year, which limits the available options to reduce spending going forward.
Call your sales representative today 315-434-8889 x315
2501 James Street, Suite 100, Syracuse, New York 13206 www.eaglenewsonline.com