Council to Consider School Budget Funds Tonight

The Common Council will consider a resolution tonight that will appropriate the funds for the $62 million budget approved by the Board of School Estimate last week.

There is a growing concern that council will request an additional $350,000 in cuts from the school's proposed budget in order to lower their tax levy increase to below 5 percent.

The current budget would raise taxes 5.6 percent and includes minimal staff and programming cuts.

Council president Dave Bomgaars said he would like to see the teachers's union agree to some concessions during this fiscal crisis. Non-union city employees' wages will be frozen this year.

"Why do the city employees have to take the hits when the teachers don't?" Bomgaars asked. "We can't just put the entire burden on the city employees."

In a statement released Tuesday, Board president Tom O'Rourke said he and the rest of the board of education stand by the budget passed last week by the Board of School Estimate.

"We
 hope 
that 
the 
majority 
of 
our
  representatives
 on 
Common 
Council 
will 
see
 the 
wisdom
 of 
taking 
a
 more 
thoughtful 
 and
 measured 
approach 
to
 reducing 
our
 budget 
to 
levels 
that 
will 
allow
 us 
to 
sustain
 excellence 
in 
anticipation 
of 
the 
impending 
2.5% 
tax
 cap," O'Rourke wrote.

Speak Up Summit President Melanie Wilson also released a statement Tuesday afternoon saying the actions by council tonight will official politicize the school budget process.

"The school budget will survive," she wrote of the budget if an additional $350,000 is to be cut. "The most distressing part is that this action changes the very fiber by which Summit operates."