The January 12th work session of the Garden City Board of Education ended on a gloomy note as Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Feirsen made some brief remarks on the upcoming budget work sessions which are scheduled to begin on February 9th.

“It will be a very, very challenging process to create a budget that I can present to you in good stead and say we think this is a budget you can support,” he said. “This is not just a rough budget year. This is an extraordinarily rough budget year.”

Dr. Feirsen said that although the economy on the national and international levels appears to be brightening somewhat, on the local and state levels the economic situation has not seen much improvement. Making it more difficult is the fact that labor agreements are set to expire at the end of this year, so the district cannot confidently estimate the cost since it will be open to negotiation.

The district is bracing for the worst since the retirement system is based on a two-year lag in the stock market. Last February, Albert Chase, the districts’ assistant superintendent of business and finance, predicted an increase in retirement contribution costs. At the first budget work session held in 2009, he said, “Next year is going to be hell to pay because the bottom has dropped out of all of these investments so next year [2010] it’s expected, we’ve been told already, it’s going to spike.”

Dr. Feirsen said there will be no automatic increases in any budget line item. For example, he said the supply budgets for each school have not increased in three years, and will likely not see one this year either.

Although the range of programs offered may be narrowed, administrators will make every effort to protect the program core. Dr. Feirsen said the school board and administration feels obligated to make sure students are able to complete subject sequences. “We’ll certainly be involving the Board in some very critical and potentially difficult decisions in terms of trying to present to the community with a budget that we hope it will support,” Dr. Feirsen said.

He emphasized that everything, including enrollment projections, will be scrutinized. If something goes in, something will have to be removed. However, he warned against making decisions that may result in a quick savings to the district now but cause larger problems and expenditures later. “We will try to avoid remedies that only come back to haunt you later....You have to make sure the squeeze is worth the juice,” he said.

School Board President Colleen Foley thanked the superintendent for his candor. “We’re going to have to look at what stays in and what may have to take a rest for a year or so,” she said. “It’s going to be a very critical process so we encourage residents to come and express their concerns.”

The 2010-2011 budget calendar can be accessed from the home page of the school district’s Web site, www.gardencity.k12.ny.us.