LONG ISLAND BULLETIN BOARD

There is a $18.5 million surplus built into the 2012-2013 budget that the district is crying poverty about. Here is the proof directly from the district website. All the data is there.

Original budget for 2011-2012 was $284 million. Money was addes for emergency repairs that were one time costs so you can't count that

The district right on it's website states two very important facts.

The first fact is that the district will run a minimum of a $13 million dollar surplus in this years budget (2011-2012). That means the actual spending for this fiscal year will be $271 at most. So the base budget or starting point from this years budget is $271 million.

The second thing the district says in it's budget presentation is that they are only adding $2.5 million in spending to next years budget. This means that the budget number for next year in actual spending is only 273.5. That is $16.5 less that the $290 million the BOE is asking for in the budget.

There is also an additional $2 million that has been added in state aide. Again, right on the district website the 2012-2013 budget shows state aide at just over $104 million. Yet if you go to the New York State approved state aide website it shows the district will actually be getting over $106 milliion.

That means there is a built in surplus of $18.5 million in 2012-2013 budget.

Basically, they are crying poverty to get a budget approved. They are saying the reserves are depleted when in reality they are hiding the money right in the budget itself. In fact, the surplus in the budget alone is $6.5 million more than they would be allowed to put in reserves.

Why are they doing this?

First of all the goal of the BOE is to get as much money approved in the budget as they can. Historically, a budget under 5% gets passed, so a 4.5% budget can get passed.

Next, a budget structured like this showing close to a zero reserve gives the impression to residents that the district is being fiscally sound and not over taxing residents.

Next, in the very next BOE meeting they are putting together a list of cuts. They will tell parents if you pass the budget they may add a few sports teams. They will say if the budget fails there will be large cuts. In fact $6 million in cuts. Obviously with a zero increase budget, according to their own numnbers not a single program would have to be cut because they would still be running a surplus.

stop lieing the budget is to small and if u cut money then all the art's will be gone and we will loose everything

Can you presnt this as a question tomorrow night, and then I would love to hear the BOE and admin's try to answer...I will be there, and we will all listen to either spin or silence....How can they defend their 290 mil with these #'s and the reserves we have already..

NO, its TRUE their already cutting teachres well loose everything

Documentation right from the district website. The links included:

This is the link that shows that there was a $13 million surplus in 2011-2012 that they are using to fund the 2012-2103 budget. They themselves are saying the budget had a surplus of $13 million. It clearly states this in the notes they provide. Please note the 2011-2012 budget was listed as $287 million. But this was raised from $284 million and change because of repairs. So the base budget is really $284, but they only spent $271 million in 2011-2012!

http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget12/pd ... Budget.pdf

The same link above shows that the district put in $104 million in state aide.

Now if you look at New York State web page on state aide at the link below you will see that the real state aid number is $106 million. The New York State budget has been passed so this number is gold!

http://www.nysed.gov/stateaid/dist/legis12/580205.HTML

The real hoax from the board to residents is that the projected state aide number was always $106 million. They low balled it from day onein the budget. The business manager will tell you the state only gave out $800,000 in additional aide. LIES! Just look at the state numbers! Figures lie and liars Figure! Typically he gives an answer that is technically correct, but materially wrong because you think he is referring to an increase of $800,000 over the $104 number that was in his budget when in reality the increase is referring to the $106 number that was passed by the state. The state aide number is actually closer to $107.


The link below is directly from last weeks’ budget presentation that shows that expenditures will only increase from last year by $2.8 million.

http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget12/pd ... 13_ppt.pdf

This is the documentation right from their website.

The budget was $284 before the one time increase for repairs.

The have $13 million left over from the $284 budget.

There is an extra $2 million in state aide.

The expenditures over prior are $2.8 million.

With a budget of $290 million that leaves a surplus of over $18 million! They are a group of liars!


The NYS Commissioner of Education has ruled since a Board of Education has been elected by the voters of the district. They do not have to be accurate or use accurate information when estimating. The Sachem School Board does not think the public deserves the truth when being taxed. Nor do they care about the distress caused to parents and students when they select the most heinous cuts to blackmail parents into a yes vote. The Board is comprised of insiders taking advantage of the community for personal gain. They consider themselves better than you and your money theirs to spend as they please.

Class's will get really big like 36 kids in a class and all the teacher's will not give individule attenshin

Teachers are getting cut right now. The district has to let them know by 4/15, and that is during spring break, so teachers were notified this week if they are not being asked back. This is an end-around on the excess process. Teachers who are excessed are subject to seniority laws. If they are fired instead, the district gets to keep teachers with less seniority who they deem more desirable for whatever reason. But don't be fooled: whichever way the process is termed, teachers are getting fired all over Sachem.

That being said, the board of education and the administration do not care if your son or daughter is in a class of 35 kids. Do you?

AP classes are down in enrollment and are being scaled back. Do you care if your son or daughter cannot take an AP class because Sachem does not offer it, or does not have a section that fits into his or her schedule?

Club attendance is being forwarded to district office each month so they can cut clubs with lower enrollment. Do you care if your son or daughter cannot be in Shakespeare club or the environmental club?

Another paradigm shift is well underway and once again, the alleged good guy(s), the white knight(s), are being exposed. Administration and the BOE: meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

They say the sky is falling every year. They said they were going to lay off a few hundred teachers last year and it never happened. Maybe they should and we can stop with the lies about what they really need

Tell me if I am wrong Fred or Tom C...A zero % budget can be put up and nothing would be cut with the extra money from the state and what we have built up in hidden reserves over the years....


The Sachem BOE has not voted to submit a budget. The majority are supporting a $6million increase. They state they will cut Sachem to the bone if the budget fails. Why with at least $36 million in reserves and a planed fund balance of $13 million would they do that?


Since June 30, 2011 Sachem expenses increased by $26 million despite $20 million in cuts and increased aid plus $17 million of excess funds (completed projects or newly bonded) returned from the capital project?
($292 million proposed 2012-13 budget -v- 6/11 audited operating 2010-11 exp $266,307,242)

The Sachem Board always threatens parents and staff to bank money and win personal favors. Worse with passed budgets they use their power to modify the budget to screw everyone further.. No other BOE in the state has ever modified three budgets in a row. Sachem's Board actually modified the last three budgets while cutting programs and staff. They and their Budget and audit committees are deceivers who find nothing wrong at charging more than they need.

Go to pages 19 & 21 of all Sachem's Finical statements and read them. http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget12/pd ... -30-11.pdf and look at the numbers!!!!

Open up up The Excel Bond http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget08/ex ... -14-08.pdf Find out what happened was to happen with the $13.5 million of reserves. If they were not used to pay off the BAN note and they were removed from the Capital fund They has to be transferred to the general fund... $6.5 million as a BUDGET MODIFICATION to the 2010-11 school year and the renaming $6.5 as a Modification to this school year.. Both transactions actually occurring October 2011 and dated 6/30/2011. listen to Assistant Superintendent for Business http://www.sachemunspun.com/11bond.mp3

Go to http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget12/pd ... letter.pdf and see :Inactive Capital Projects The project length schedule lists 32 projects, 24 of which had no activity recorded in the last two years. These projects appear to be inactive and should be reviewed with a determination made as to their completion status. Completed projects should be closed out and removed from the schedule. A determination for the use of the residual funds in those projects will also need to be made. The remaining active projects should be periodically reviewed on a quarterly or semiannual basis to keep inactive projects from accumulating in the Capital Projects Fund

Open the Budget Appendix go to SUMMARY SCHEDULE OF REVENUES, EXPENDITURES, AND FUND BALANCE http://www.sachem.edu/board/budget12/pd ... 2-2013.pdf see how reserves shifted and hardly reduced.

This year's and next year's budgets are horribly inflated and designed to increase reserves not educate students.

2012-13 Budget ...$291.36 million budget Estimated Expenses .. is estimating expenses will increased by $34 million over the last two while state aid is increased by $6million, teachers reduced salaries by $2.5 million and retirements will reduce expenses by $1.9 million and $6.5 million was returned from the capital fund. This is a very bad guess.

2011-12 Budget ...287,834,125---Estimated Operating Expenses...287,834,125 after a $10 million cut in staff and services. Actual numbers will be available in October 2012 (Since last year's operating expense was

$266,307,242 and this year the BOE cut expenses by $10 million and increased the budget to $287,834,125.... This year's expenses are estimated to increased by $31.5 million and way out of line with prior expenses. Do the math)

2012-13 Budget ...$291.36 million Estimated Expenses---Actual Expenses only known to the BOE and Administration.
2011-12 Budget ...287,834,125---Estimated Expenses---Actual Expenses only known to the BOE and Administration
2010-11 Budget ...282,111,665---Actual Operating Expenses...266,307,242---+ 1 time roof repair 3,107,000... 12,697,423 under budget
2009-10 Budget ...277,694,940---Actual Operating Expenses...261,609,366--+ 1 time roof repair 3,806,872... 12,278,702 under budget
2008-09 Budget ...278,801,607---Actual Operating Expenses...267,926,888---10,874,719 under budget
2007-08 Budget ...274,707,921---Actual Operating Expenses...265,060,293---9,647,628 under budget
2006-07 Budget ...266,665,361---Actual Operating Expenses...262,000,417---4,664,944 under budget

THIS IS A SACHEM PATCH editorial or story posted on their sight fred


BOE Seeks to Maintain Programs, Budget Set to Exceed Tax Cap
School officials hold off on officially adopting budget Wednesday; board now plans to replace 25 of the 30 positions left open by retirees.
With state aid ticked up and concessions from the teacher's union set to save the district $2.7 million next year, the Sachem Board of Education still finds itself in a precarious position.
As the board seeks to maintain the integrity of the district's programs and services in the face of declining revenues and rising expenses, the board is poised to ask taxpayers to approve a $291.36 million budget, which carries a 4.2 percent hike in the school tax rate.
The budget, which is a 1.1 percent spending increase over the current year's budget, pierces the state's new two percent tax cap. What that means is simple: in order for the budget to pass, it must receive a super majority of 60 percent of the resident vote.
"I think we will probably get 60 percent," board member Michael Isernia said, referring to the results of the vote on the current budget, which received 62 percent of the vote on a proposed 4.49 percent hike in the tax levy.
"I don’t want to start creeping in the other direction," said Isernia, of making further cuts to the budget.
Talk of a double-digit tax hike at the start of the budget talks has been calmed, due in part to the Sachem Central Teachers Association agreeing to defer a 2.5 percent salary increase. State aid to the district, under the newly adopted state budget, is also $1.5 million higher (a total of $106.3 million) than projected earlier this year.
Under new line items added to the budget this week, the district will fund 25 of the 30 positions left open by retirees at a cost of $1.9 million. The budget also provides $200,000 for the district's academic intervention services (AIS) program.
School board members said at their meeting Wednesday night at Samoset Middle School that the point of the proposed budget was to maintain current programs without adding anything new.
"It’s a rollover, less 5 teachers," board vice president Sal Tripi said.
"That’s the concept of this budget," echoed Bruce Assistant Superintendent for Business, the district's assistant superintedent of business.
The school board chose to hold off on adopting the budget Wednesday night in order to mull over the new figures. Board members Michael Timo and Christine Lampitelli were also not in attendence. The board must vote on the budget by April 18, the date of its next meeting.
If the budget does not reach the 60 percent threshold at the public vote on May 15, the board has a few options: it can immediately adopt a contingency budget (no tax increase from the current year; would require more than $6 million in cuts), it can put the same budget up for a revote or it can put forth a revised budget for a revote.
A revised budget in compliance with the tax cap would require $2.1 million in cuts. Two failed budgets means an automatic contingency budget.
"With rolling over this budget, we are keeping Sachem Sachem," board member Douglas Duncan said. "We are keeping Sachem on track."
"If we need to cut $6.1 million, Sachem will not be Sachem anymore. We are cutting into muscle now and if we need to cut $6.1 million, we will be cutting into bone."
Board members said they would be clear on what may be on the chopping block should the budget go down.
"We get killed because we threaten these programs," board member Anthony Falco said. "This is not a threat. This is what is actually going to happen."

Why doesn't the district lower the budget by $18 million and provide the community a real budget rather than taking eighteen then giving back eighteen. This doesn't make sense?

Because they want to keep the reserves as high as possible.

This is my take on what is happening in the budget. I think it is a more realistic picture than what the BOE will tell you. - Tom

I have looked at the numbers and I believe you are correct that a Zero budget would require no cuts based on the district's own budget presentation as outlined in this thread.

This certainly is an unusual budget year for a few reasons. The most dramatic change is that for the first time the business manager is providing an estimate of year end costs for the current fiscal year. He has refused to do this in the past. He never wanted to show his hand. At the end of the fiscal year, after the budget would be passed they would reserve the extra money. Until last year they were running out of places to hide the money they had so much. This year they are telling you they are using the $13 million left over from this years budget to fund next years budget and they are doing this because the reserves are depleted.

So I think this thread really gets it right when it says, if the district is saying it is going to have $13 million left over from this fiscal year and it is only increasing spending $2.5 million next year, than why is any increase needed for next years budget? Also I looked at the New York State Aide page for Sachem and it does show $2 million more in state aide than is in the district's proposed budget. I do believe there was close to $3 million in one time costs added so you can also add that to the extra money for next year. Just these things alone gives you a total of about $18 million extra in next years budget. Now add on top of all these things the money the district will save because of the elimination of the MTA tax. We are talking millions here. There are no budget notes or recognition of savings from the MTA tax I can find anywhere. That would bring a 2012-2013 surplus or over-funded budget for next year to well over $20 million.

So, I can't see any fiscal reason to make any cut with a Zero increase budget. In fact, parents should be asking the district, “how come they cut programs this year when they admit that they had $13 million extra in this years’ budget”? Are they that bad at budgeting? Most of their costs are fixed so a mistake that large just should not happen. Also there were no 'surprises' funded in the original budget amount. There is no reason to pad a budget for emergencies since that is what reserves are for and there were reserves this year.

So why would the district ask for money above the cap if they don’t really need it? I believe the reason is the district will try to get as much money as they can while they can. Historically, a budget under 5% will pass. This year they are asking for 4.4%. They feel pretty confident because last year the budget was passed with over 60% of the vote. That is the percentage that is needed to pass the tax cap. There justification for the tax increase is that they are barely increasing the budget at all, it is the tax rate that is going up and they blame the state for their fiscal woes, specifically Como. The truth Sachem is getting substantially more in state aide but they still blame him. Why not, it makes for a good story line. Meanwhile, the Governor’s message to districts like Sachem is that they need to get their spending under control.

The district is arguing they have kept costs under control. They will say have had many years without substantial tax increases. That is true, but during those years they had budgets and reserves that were ridiculously over-funded. For example, this year they will have $13 million left over, last year 12 million in surplus.

Now here is what is really happening. Last year with State budget crisis the ‘you know what’ really did hit the fan. The district got less state aide and stimulus money was going away. Meanwhile, the governor didn’t let the financial crisis ‘go to waste’. He and elected officials in the state knew that districts like sachem were really hording money in reserves. Groups like LIFER were putting real pressure on the state to crack down on this type of fiscal misbehavior. Mr. Gorman does have the ear of certain officials in the state. It was therefore not surprising that Sachem officials got a real cold shoulder when they traveled to Albany, not only from the Governor’s office but also the local State Senator. Sachem had no choice but to dump there reserves. Remember, under a $284 budget the district is only allowed to reserve just over $11 million. Well last year between the previous year’s surplus budget and reserves they came up with an extra $26 million to fund the budget. This still left them with over $11 million in reserves! They need not wonder why the state was not happy. The state turned them upside down and shook some money out of there pockets.

So why is the district asking for 4.4% if they don’t need it and why are they pretending there is a fiscal crisis? Here is the answers as best as I can figure.

First, the district doesn’t figure out how much they really need to run the district, instead they determine what kind of an increase residents will pass in a budget vote. As stated the magic number is under 5%. That is why they are asking for 4.4%. They think 60% of voters will vote for this budget if they threaten cuts. I have been to a PTA/community meeting and heard them tell residents if the budget doesn’t pass there will be cuts.

Second, the budget they present does give the impression that by funding the budget by using reserves and surplus from this year that there really is a crisis. They claim reserves will be depleted. Obviously this is false. They are hiding the money in the budget itself. This is a ‘manufactured’ crisis.

Third, the artificial crisis, gave them leverage with the teachers. Basically, the message was come back to the negotiating table or many jobs will be cut. The teachers ran back to negotiate. The bonus for the older teachers was a nice retirement incentive. Keep an eye on the TRS as it spirals upward in coming years.

Finally, they are telling residents that the district stellar rating is now in jeopardy and interest that we pay on loans will rise and cost the district. This is what was said at a PTA meeting. Well in the Board meeting the business manager said it really didn’t mean much because interest rates are so low and are not likely to rise, so it really won’t cost the district much at all. So, they would rather bank or hide the money, create a ‘manufactured’ crisis for a year and live with rates that are only slightly higher. They get more money that way.

LOL "Groups like LIFER were putting real pressure on the state to crack down on this type of fiscal misbehavior. Mr. Gorman does have the ear of certain officials in the state. It was therefore not surprising that Sachem officials got a real cold shoulder when they traveled to Albany, not only from the Governor’s office but also the local State Senator."


Nolan, Scalvo Heslin and a few hundred teachers went to Albany with the fear of 400 layoffs. I played a Sachem BOE tape with Nolan calming no Layoffs the day before the trip. Within a week Republicans joined with Shelly Silver and Andrew Cuomo supporting the CAP...