The Mobilizer

Friday, March 05, 2010

LERA Rochester:
WNY LERA chapter (Buffalo) is accepting applications for their scholarship program. Candidates must be pursuing a career in either Labor Relations or Human Resource Management at either the undergraduate or the graduate level. Interested persons can contact Linda Donahue (LHD4@cornell.edu) for more information about the criteria and an application form, which is due no later than March 31st. SAVE THE DATE!! Rochester LERA's next regular meeting will be held on April 13. We will be taking a tour of the Genesee Brewery beginning at 4:00. Look for more information soon.

Re-Announced RLC Dinner!
Just re-announced, the re-planning of the Rochester Labor Council, AFL-CIO Annual Delegates Dinner (postponed from December due to blizzard conditions) - Thursday, May 13, 2010. Tickets already purchased and paid for the December dinner will be honored. All others are encouraged to join us for this re-scheduled event. Additional details and event specifics will begin to become available next week.

Fiscal Policy Institute Update – February 2010:
This is an update on the recent work of the Fiscal Policy Institute. For more information, visit www.fiscalpolicy.org or contact Frank Mauro or James Parrott.

NEW YORK STATE BUDGET: In early February, in both Albany and New York City, the Fiscal Policy Institute (FPI) presented a detailed briefing on New York State's Economic and Fiscal Outlook for 2010-11. In cooperation with New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness, FPI will be presenting budget briefings in Rochester on March 1, Elmira on March 2, and Poughkeepsie on March 3. For details on these and other upcoming presentations, check the FPI events page. FPI also worked with New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness and the other members of the Better Choice Budget Campaign to develop a menu of revenue-raising and cost-cutting options for the Governor and the Legislature to consider as they work to adopt a balanced budget for 2010-2011. The Fiscal Policy Institute's Deputy Director and Chief Economist James Parrott and FPI Senior Fiscal Policy Analyst Carolyn Boldiston both testified at the joint legislative hearings on the Governor’s 2010-2011 Executive Budget proposal. James testified at the Economic Development budget hearing and Carolyn presented testimony at the Human Services budget hearing.

NEW YORK CITY BUDGET: With support from New York Community Trust, FPI is now monitoring and analyzing the New York City budget. On February 9, as part of this effort, FPI presented a briefing on the mayor's preliminary budget for FY 2011. The briefing examined the Mayor's proposed budget cuts for this year and next year, his contingency cuts related to reductions in the Governor’s proposed state budget, and options for a more balanced approach to dealing with City budget pressures.

THE GREAT RECESSION IN NEW YORK: In November, FPI released A Tale of Two Recessions: While Wall Street recovers, New York City's Main Street economy remains mired in the Great Recession and followed up in December with a report that analyzed unemployment by neighborhood, race, and ethnicity in New York City. That report's estimates were used by both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times as the basis for interactive maps that are posted on their websites. FPI Research Associate Michele Mattingly will discuss the urgent need for job creation at two town hall meetings convened by Representative Carolyn Maloney in New York City on March 6 and 7. For details, check the FPI events page.

IMMIGRATION AND THE ECONOMY: FPI analyzed the contribution of immigrants to the economies of the nation's 25 largest metropolitan areas in Immigrants and the Economy, released this past November. This was the second major report by FPI's Immigration Research Initiative, directed by senior fellow David Dyssegaard Kallick. Funding was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and 32BJ SEIU. The report was prominently cited in a New York Daily News editorial, The Boon of Immigration, and garnered attention in news outlets across the country. News coverage can be found on FPI's immigration web page.

STIMULUS FUNDS: GOOD FOR STATES, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND FAMILIES: Several components of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) have been critical in addressing state budget gaps and in providing assistance to the unemployed and other vulnerable populations. FPI has sought to quantify ARRA benefits for New York State and New York City and for individual New Yorkers in its State of Working New York 2009 report, in a column in the Gotham Gazette, and its recent state and city budget briefing books. Together with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, FPI released data in December showing that the ARRA helped keep more than 400,000 New Yorkers out of poverty in 2009.

HUMAN SERVICES: In testimony presented to the joint legislative hearing on the Human Services proposals in the Governor's 2010-2011 Executive Budget proposal, FPI senior fiscal policy analyst Carolyn Boldiston examined Temporary Assistance to Needed Families (TANF) funding and spending in New York as well as issues relating to child care subsidies. Last summer, Carolyn was the lead author on a series of briefs that looked into the rules governing the new TANF Emergency Contingency Fund (ECF) that was created by the ARRA, reviewed New York's experience with the pre-ARRA TANF Contingency Fund, and explored the situations under which New York may qualify for ECF funds.

LABOR PRACTICES: Building on FPI's earlier research regarding the increasing tendency for unscrupulous employers to employ workers off the books or as so-called independent contractors, James Parrott testified before the labor committees of both the Assembly and Senate in January on the fiscal costs to the state of unlawful labor practices.

The Fiscal Policy Institute is an independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and education organization committed to improving public policies and private practices to better the economic and social conditions of all New Yorkers. Founded in 1991, FPI works to create a strong economy in which prosperity is broadly shared.

Rally for a Fair Contract:
Pride at Work & CSEA will join with the Monroe County Federation of Social Workers (IUE-CWA 81381) to demand a fair contract for Monroe County Employees. Tell the County: "We want justice now". Union members and friends need to make their voices heard loud and clear. Signs will be provided.
Rally: Tuesday March 9th
Where: County Office Building - 39 West Main Street, Rochester
When: 5:15 - 6:15

Media Coverage of Whirlpool Activities in Evansville, IN:
Special thanks go to the IUE-CWA Local 808 members at Whirlpool, and to all the unions and State Federations and Labor Councils who sent members, helped collect tens of thousands of petitions and helped deliver petitions to Whirlpool headquarters in Michigan.
Story on AFLCIO.org homepage, with two youtube videos of rally speeches: http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/02/28/community-labor-unite-with-iue-cwa-at-whirlpool-rally/
Two more youtube videos from the march to the Whirlpool factory door: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwSWwlmDmjc
Petition Delivery http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vd-cJWyDzY
A collection of rally and march photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/labor2008/
Some of the media coverage: http://www.14wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=12053728
Thousands Bussed In For Labor Rally NBC14 http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134561HYPERLINK http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134561
Whirlpool Rally Draws Thousands FOX 7 http://tristatehomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=134581
FOX 7 Rides Along on Rally Buses FOX 7 http://www.wfie.com/Global/story.asp?S=12052911
Whirlpool Employees Prepare For Life After Layoffs NBC 14 http://www.freep.com/article/20100227/BUSINESS07/
2270308/1002/BUSINESS/Business-news-briefs-Whirlpool-plant-closing-protested
Whirlpool Plant Closing Protested Detroit Free Press http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/27/no-headline---271/HYPERLINK  http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/27/no-headline---271/
Buy American Goods and Save American Jobs (LTE) Evansville Courier & Press http://www.courierpress.com/news/2010/feb/26/protest-to-save-jobs/
Protest to Save Jobs Evansville Courier & Press http://michiganmessenger.com/35269/union-files-charges-against-whirlpool-over-threats

The Pros and Cons of Mayoral Accountability for the Rochester City School District:
March 23, 2010 ? 7:30-10am, Rochester Riverside Convention Center, Rochester, NY. Click here for more information on this important discussion! The Rochester Business Journal, in an effort to foster a community dialogue and generate fresh, firsthand information and conversation, has assembled a panel of proponents, critics and experts. They will share their views and state their arguments for and against mayoral control on March 23 at a breakfast forum. The panelists also will answer questions. The event is an opportunity to get a clearer picture of what mayoral control would mean here. These national experts and local leaders will share their views and answer questions: Robert Duffy, Mayor, City of Rochester; Margaret Raymond, Director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes, Research Fellow, Stanford University; Adam Urbanski, President, Rochester Teachers Association; Dennis Walcott, Deputy Mayor for Education and Community Development, New York City; Van White, Rochester City School Board Member; Kenneth Wong, Professor of Education, Political Science and Public Policy and Director of the Urban Education Policy Program, Brown University. Click here to purchase tickets to this important event! Questions? Please contact Kerry McGlone at 585-546-8303, ext. 102, or events@rbj.net.

"Celebrating Our Past, Present and Future":
Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Dinner & Dance, Commemorating Rochester's 10th Anniversary as a chapter of CBTU. Friday, April 9, 2010, 6pm, Rick's Prime Rib, 898 Buffalo Road, Rochester, NY. $50 Registration Fee. Keynote Speaker: Terry Melvin, New York State Secretary-Treasurer, AFL – CIO and Regional Director of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Frederick Douglass Award Recipient: Pastor George F. Nicholas of Grace United Methodist Church. Bill Lucy Award: Recipient: Shelly D. Clements, Labor Relations Specialist, NY State United Teachers. Questions: Please contact Zola Brown at (585) 244-0830 ext. 318 or email her at zola.brown@1199.org. Deadline: Please RSVP by March 19, 2010

Democrat and Chronicle Online:
The Democrat and Chronicle reports: "You can get your piece on DemocratandChronicle.com via our 'Get Published' feature. These pieces are not held to the length restrictions of our printed Editorial Page and also can be accompanied by photos. Click on the 'Get Published' link on the Opinion section of the DemocratandChronicle.com to publish your work online." http://www.democratandchronicle.com/section/OPINION

EPI Reports:
Where has all the income gone? Look up:
The 400 American households with the highest incomes also have enjoyed a much faster pace of income growth than have the vast majority of households, says EPI president Lawrence Mishel in today’s Snapshot. The snapshot shows that while pre-tax income for those 400 households grew by a staggering 409% between 1992 and 2007, after-tax income increased even more, by 476%.

The China Trade Toll:
The China Trade Toll, a 2008 paper by international economist Robert Scott about the U.S. jobs that have been lost or displaced because of increased trade with China, continues to influence trade policy discussions. Last month, when President Obama discussed tougher enforcement of trade rules with Senate Democrats, Senator Arlen Specter cited the paper's findings that 2.3 million U.S. jobs had been lost or displaced between 2001 and 2007 as a result of a trade imbalance with China. Scott's paper also looks at how this trade imbalance has suppressed wages and finds that even when workers displaced by the growing trade deficit found new work, it was typically at a much lower salary, with an average annual loss of $8,146 per worker between 2001 and 2007. Last week Scott published an op-ed in The Huffington Post where he addressed The Myth of the Manufacturing Recovery, and said that growing trade deficits were largely to blame for the six million U.S. manufacturing jobs that had been lost since 1998.

Address jobs now, deficits later:
One of the biggest political barriers in the way of a major jobs creation effort is concern over the federal deficit. This concern is misplaced: The fact is that we can't reduce the deficit without first creating jobs for the millions of Americans who are out of work. EPI has come together with the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, which focuses largely on long-term fiscal issues, to stress that the U.S. must Address jobs now and deficits later. EPI President Lawrence Mishel and Peterson Foundation CEO David Walker co-authored an op-ed, which was published February 24 in Politico. "With more than a fifth of the work force expected to be unemployed or underemployed in 2010," the authors stress, "there is an economic and a moral imperative to take action." While Mishel and Walker may not share the same perspective on many policy issues or the proper role of government, they agree that the severity of the current jobs crisis means that "Today's high deficits will have to go even higher to help address unemployment." So many jobs have been lost that the country entered 2010 with fewer jobs than it had a decade earlier. A survey conducted for EPI late last year found that one in four American families had suffered a job loss. Within the private sector, one out of every 20 jobs has been lost since the recession started in late 2007.

We now need more than 10 million jobs to get the country back to pre-recession levels of employment. The situation would be far worse were it not for the Recovery Act, but still it's clear that much more needs to be done. Earlier this week, Mishel testified before the House Committee on Financial Services where he warned that unless Congress acts quickly and at a sufficient scale, "high and damaging unemployment will continue for years." EPI maintains that the Senate's $15 billion jobs bill is too small and of questionable efficacy. EPI's American Jobs Plan proposes spending $400 billion to create 4.6 million jobs in one year. In their Politico piece, Mishel and Walker also agree on the need to develop a plan for addressing structural deficits, which are projected to persist even once the economy has recovered. But they argue that spending on job creation must come first. Mishel and Walker said they co-authored the piece in an effort to change the thinking about job creation and deficit reduction, which too often are misrepresented as opposing goals. Their op-ed is available on Politico and on EPI.org.

Foodbank Donations Being Collected:
Foodbank Collections Begin for Fall and Winter Seasons: IBEW Local 86 has asked members to donate canned/non-perishable goods and will continue collecting donations throughout the winter. Please remember to bring your donation to the next RLC Delegates meeting.

Union Made Vehicles:
For those who want to drive union-made wheels, here's a list of 2010 vehicles made by UAW and CAW members in the US and Canada: http://www.uaw.org/news/newsarticle.cfm?ArtId=565 Press release here: http://www.uaw.org/uawmade/auto/2010/index.cfm

NYS AFL-CIO Legislative Alert:
NYS AFL-CIO Legislative Department:
http://www.nysaflcio.org/index.cfm?zone=view_page.cfm&page=
Legislative20Issues

Other Significant Topics:
Follow the AFL-CIO at:
Facebook:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/c1a2q4d1kB_m/
Twitter:
 http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/dda2q4d1kB_7/
YouTube:
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/cda2q4d1kB_E/
Jobless Rate Remains at 9.7 Percent, Long-Term Unemployment a Crisis
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/05/jobless-rate-remains-at-97-percent-long-term-unemployment-a-crisis/
Tell Big Insurance: We're Sick of It
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/tell-big-insurance-were-sick-of-it/
NUMMI Closing Highlights Need for U.S. Manufacturing Policy
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/nummi-closing-highlights-need-for-us-manufacturing-policy/
14 Union Supporters Fired at E-Z Pass, Take Action Now
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/14-union-supporters-fired-at-e-z-pass-take-action-now/
Delta Flight Attendants Release 'OUR Song' Video
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/delta-flight-attendants-release-our-song-video/
Detroit School Official's Unilateral Order Puts Office Workers Near Poverty Line
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/detroit-school-officials-unilateral-order-puts-office-workers-near-poverty-line/
A Tire Plant Closes, A Community Withers
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/a-tire-plant-closes-a-community-withers/
Executive Council Supports Aid to Chile, Haiti and Backs Mexican Workers
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/executive-council-supports-aid-to-chile-haiti-and-backs-mexican-workers/
Bunning Put a Face on Obstructionist, Mean-Spirited Republican Party
http://blog.aflcio.org/2010/03/04/bunning-put-a-face-on-obstructionist-mean-spirited-republican-party/
Solis: Let's Roll Up Our Sleeves and Work Together to Get America Back to Work
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/j7a2q4d1Da_i/
Central Falls Superintendent Agrees to Resume Talks with Teachers
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/jpa2q4d1Da_k/
Greed, Not Need, Drives Health Insurance Costs Up
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/j1a2q4d1Da_n/
'Can They Do That? Retaking Our Fundamental Rights in the Workplace'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/upa2q4d1Da_h/
Jobless Benefits Extended After Sen. Bunning Relents
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/jda2q4d1Da_8/
Executive Council Approves Action to Create New, Good Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/41a2q4d1JQLP/
Thousands of Workers Without Jobs Due to One Senator: Kentucky's Bunning
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/4pa2q4d1JQLY/
Executive Council: Central Falls Students Deserve Better than Mass Teacher Firing
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/4da2q4d1JQLQ/
Chavez-Thompson Wins Texas Lt. Governor Primary
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/r1a2q4d1JQLT/
Adjunct Faculty Joins AFT/NEA Union
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Xpa2q4d1JQLp/
New Push to Organize the South Focuses on Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/47a2q4d1JQLR/
At Orlando Forum, Residents Hard-Hit by Jobs Crisis Share Their Hardships
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Upa2q4d1JB_J/
Biden to Executive Council: We Need A Middle Class
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/y1a2q4d1JB_D/
Thousands of Workers Without Jobs Due to One Senator: Kentucky's Bunning
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/ypa2q4d1JB_V/
Toyota NUMMI Closure Would Kill Jobs, Destroy Communities
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/y7a2q4d1JB_Z/
Economic Crisis Hitting Young Workers Hard
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/yda2q4d1JB_K/
Community, Labor Unite with IUE-CWA at Whirlpool Rally
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/R7a2q4d1-BAT/
Thousands Tell Whirlpool: Keep It Made in America
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Y1a2q4d1-BAG/
Bunning to Jobless Workers: 'Tough Sh*t'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Ppa2q4d1-BAl/
Holt Baker: 'We Have to Be Bold to Turn Economy Around'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Qda2q4d1-BAp/
NASA Workers Launch Effort to Save Jobs
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/R1a2q4d1-BAR/
California Investigating 7 Health Insurers for Denying Claims, Hiking Rates
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Q1a2q4d1-BA0/
Writers Guild Honors the Best of the Year
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Rda2q4d1-BAY/
Ohio Workers Demand Good Jobs Now
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Q7a2q4d1-BAP/
Without Manufacturing Base, Nation's Future Threatened
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Qpa2q4d1-BAQ/
IBEW Team Makes Super Bowl Work
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/Rpa2q4d1-BAH/
IUE-CWA Files Charges Against Whirlpool
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/7pa2q4d1Fj_o/
Whirlpool Exec's Letter Strengthens Workers' Resolve
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u7a2q4d1Fj_p/
L.A. Unions Send Caravan of Food, Hope to Locked-Out Rio Tinto Miners
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/uda2q4d1Fj_0/
Firing of Central Falls, R.I., Teachers 'Illegal, Unjust, Disgraceful'
http://www.unionvoice.org/ct/u1a2q4d1Fj_l/

News Stories:
Sit-In Vet: 'Never Request Permission to Start a Revolution': http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/02/01/greensboro.four.sitins/index.html?hpt=C1

This week in labor history for the week of March 1 to February 7, 2010
March 01
The Granite Cutters National Union begins what is to be a successful nationwide strike for the 8-hour day. Also won: union recognition, wage increases, a grievance procedure and a minimum wage scale - 1900

Collective Bargaining Digest

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Join the AFL-CIO's Good Jobs Now Campaign - The AFL-CIO Executive Council kicked off the campaign with a Call to Action on Jobs by the entire labor movement, arguing that 11 million unemployed is intolerable and that we must put America back to work. To join the campaign, click here.

Top News - The Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA-Ind.) will hold a strike vote next month for American Airlines flight attendants. APFA leaders are meeting with the National Mediation Board (NMB) next week to request an end to mediation. °° Negotiations have begun for a new contract covering 30,000 doormen, superintendents, handymen, concierges and porters in New York City apartment buildings. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 32BJ is negotiating with the Realty Advisory Board, the association of building owners. °° The Columbus City Council approved a new contract for more than 1,100 city workers. The members of Columbus Municipal Association of Government Employees (CWA-CMAGE) will receive a 6 percent wage increase over the term, but will also see small increases to their pension and healthcare contributions in order to help the city with its budget shortfall. °° Thousands of union members and other healthcare reform supporters hit the streets of Washington, D.C. yesterday to protest a meeting of the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), a group of the big insurance companies that are trying to block reform efforts.

Education - After 93 Rhode Island teachers and support staff were fired two weeks ago, their union, Central Falls Teachers' Union (AFT) and the school superintendent will begin talks on how to improve the Central Falls High School. Yet the state education commissioner has made clear to superintendent Frances Gallo, that should any improvement plans affect teacher pay or working conditions, the two sides must enter negotiations. °° Three months after the Pulaski, Ark. school board ended recognition of the teachers union, Pulaski Association of Classroom Teachers (NEA-Ind.), a circuit court judge ordered the school district to enter mediation with the union. PACT was shocked by the board's December decision to withdraw its recognition of the union and is looking forward to discussions.

Global Labor Movement - British Airways and Unite, the union representing cabin crew, have agreed to extend talks in the hopes of reaching a last-minute deal to avoid a strike. Yesterday's deadline has been moved to 5pm today. °° Dockworkers in Finland continue their strike as talks resume between the Finnish Forest Industries Federation and the Confederation of Finnish Industries. The two sides are reportedly still far apart on a number of issues, as each day of the strike costs approximately $135 million.
 

Ontario County School districts look to share

By Michele E. Cutri-Bynoe

A feasibility study for a regional high school within Ontario County — in which districts could combine courses while maintaining separate districts — is in the works. The study is to recommend management improvements and how best to pool and share resources to, potentially, save money.

“One of the positives about doing a study is, we get a lot of information about schools and how to share services,” said Don Raw, Canandaigua school superintendent. Until the study is completed, he said, superintendents won’t know the extent of savings possible by sharing services.

Raw expressed interest in a shared business office with one central payroll for all the Ontario County school districts.

Other superintendents suggested sharing more than payroll. Mike Chirco, superintendent of the Marcus Whitman district, suggested districts share all the business office functions. He’d also possibly like to share a transportation director.

However, Chirco said, such a move by the districts “might not create that much savings, especially in the first year, due to funding caps on salaries.” He said BOCES aid only covers the first $30,000 of the salary, and sharing would reduce the amount of aid each district would receive.

All nine school districts in Ontario County have agreed to a feasibility study for a regional high school program, according to Wayne-Finger Lakes Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) officials. This was good news for school officials in the aftermath of an attempted study in Seneca County that failed when one district voted against the study. There is a study currently under way in Wayne County, where the concept of a regional high school has met with resistance from many residents. A final report for Wayne County is due in March.

A regional high school program would allow districts in Ontario County to combine high school courses, while still maintaining separate school districts. It does not mean constructing a new building. High school programs would be combined in existing schools. Middle school, elementary and primary programs would not be involved. The benefit of sharing programs would be to provide more opportunity for students, said superintendents.

A regional high school is an option for kids with specialized interests such as medical technology, said Raw, explaining individual school districts wouldn’t be able to offer such programs.

“The study is just looking at how school districts can share resources,” agreed Red Jacket Superintendent Robert Leiby. “I’m willing to share anything, including a pencil, if it provides additional opportunities for our students in a cost-effective way without having to relinquish local control.”

Ontario County districts — Canandaigua, Marcus Whitman, Red Jacket, Naples, Bloomfield, Midlakes, Honeoye, Victor and Geneva — each gave approval for BOCES to apply for grants that could cover between $25,000 and $50,000 of the study’s cost.

 “The study has not gone out to bid — at this point, the only thing that has happened is all the Ontario County school boards of education have agreed to participate in the grant application process,” said Jeanna Savage, the public information coordinator for Wayne-Finger Lakes BOCES.

“We don’t know how much the study will cost, but it can not exceed the amount of grant money available,” she added.

Area schools feeling pressure with cut in state aid

Meaghan M. McDermott

High school seniors could see shorter school days.

Librarians could be on duty only four days a week.

Elementary school class sizes could swell from 22 to 28 students and there may be no elementary and middle school summer school programs next year.

These cuts and more are being considered in the Greece Central School District, where in light of declining revenues, officials are struggling to stave off a hefty tax increase by trimming $14 million in spending from next year's budget. Even with the cuts, residents could see their taxes rise by nearly 7 percent, or about $100 a year. Without the cuts, taxes would rise nearly 13 percent.

"Unfortunately, I don't see that there's a whole lot else they can do," said Gary Elling, co-president of Greece's Parent Teacher Association Council. "They're confronted with what's simply a lack of funds. Until we find a better way of funding education, either the students will lose out or taxes will go up."

Across the county, and across the state, other districts are in similar straits while coping with Gov. David Paterson's proposal to strip away more than $1.1 billion in state education aid to help plug a budget deficit for next year that's approaching $10 billion. In Monroe County, schools expect to lose more than $60 million, with $7.2 million of that coming from Greece alone.

"It's not just that school districts are going to see less in state aid, but they're also facing increased expenses," said David Albert, spokesman for the state School Boards Association.

"Double digit increases in health insurance and pension costs are really driving budgets upward at the same time."

Albert said he's seeing school systems across the state cutting into their athletics, boosting class sizes, trimming summer school and even closing school buildings as trickle down from the Great Recession hits their districts.

"Boards recognize they're not in a position this year where they can go forward with large property tax increases," he said.

"So a lot of districts are having conversations with their communities about how to save money or anything else they can do as far as revenue raising or finding cost savings."

In the Hilton Central School District, officials are asking their community to use an online survey to help prioritize potential cuts. Under Paterson's proposal, the district would lose more than 10 percent of its state aid next year, about $3.1 million.

That, along with projected cost increases, would have meant a near 20 percent tax increase next year if the district made no cuts.

"There are going to be reductions in our programs and our staffing," said Superintendent David Dimbleby. He said it was premature to discuss specifics, but that "everything we do is under the microscope."

The district is considering class size increases, staff cuts, eliminating some after-school clubs and activities and a tax increase of between 3 percent and 5 percent.

Webster, Penfield, Wheatland-Chili, Honeoye Falls-Lima and others are also looking at significant staff cuts, and both Penfield and Brighton are thinking about cuts to their athletic programs.

State money

Paterson proposed steep cuts in state education aid last year too, but the state's final budget restored that funding and kept aid mostly equal to the year before. School leaders aren't expecting a repeat this year, given the state's ever-deepening deficit. And, with less than a month to go before the March 31 deadline for a new state budget, the governor and lieutenant governor haven't even started budget negotiations with the Legislature.

Since Paterson's proposal is the only guidance schools have as far as next year's aid, they must use his numbers to create their 2010-11 budgets.

In East Irondequoit, as in Greece, cost increases for union salaries, health care and pension benefits and other rising expenses, coupled with the aid loss, would have resulted in a tax boost next year that was "wholly unacceptable" said John Abbott, the district's deputy superintendent for business.

With a plan to keep spending for next year roughly in line with this year's $63.6 million, officials there are considering more than 100 line-item cuts and dipping into about $2 million in reserve funds.

"We're trying to find ways to get through this year without making draconian cuts," said Abbott. He said it was still too early in budget development for specifics on what his district's cuts will entail.

He expects a budget draft to go to the school board later this month. "Our cuts will be noticeable, but we think we can get through this year without cuts that are damaging to our programs."

That's not the case in Greece, where Superintendent Steve Achramovitch has been instructed by his school board to come up with a proposal for next year that's nearly $2 million less than this year's $195.5 million spending plan. He will present that plan to the board on Tuesday, and the board has until mid-April to make adjustments and approve a proposal that will go before voters on May 18.

Greece's property taxes have remained flat over the past three years, and over that time, the district spent down some reserve funds, leaving the district less able than some others to cover Paterson's reductions with savings.

Achramovitch said the cuts he's been asked to make go too far.

"These cuts will significantly impact our programs and our class sizes, they will have an impact on how we educate kids," he said.

"If all these reductions go through, we will set our district back."

'Give a little'

Libby Carbone, 18, is a senior at Greece Athena High School.

Last month, she took honors in a regional science research competition she entered because of an elective class at her school. There are only 10 students in her class.

The district is considering eliminating all electives next year that don't have at least 15 students enrolled.

"I'm really thankful for the opportunity I had taking this class, and would have been very disappointed if it were cut," said Carbone.

She's also not impressed by a district proposal to have high school seniors take only the classes they need to fulfill graduation requirements, rather than be required to take a full day of classes.

At the extreme, that could mean a high school senior could only have to attend school to take English, social studies and physical education instead of a full 6.5 credit load.

Staying in school all day, Carbone said, gives seniors a chance to take courses they might not otherwise take, as she did with the science research class.

Parent Sandra Dailor has one son in elementary school and another who's a senior.

She's concerned by Greece's proposal to cut summer school programs for elementary students because she fears losing early intervention would be more costly in the long run, both for the district and the students who lag behind.

She also wouldn't like to see seniors attending half-day school.

"And I don't think larger class sizes are the greatest thing," she said. "But I think we're at the point where everybody's got to take a realistic look at what's going on and realize everybody's got to give a little."

Greece, the Rochester area's ninth-largest employer and the state's eighth-largest school district, is looking at nearly 90 job cuts, including more than 30 teaching positions, assistant coaches, counselors, special education monitors, teacher aides and administrators.

Greece Teacher Association President Don Palozzi said the proposed class size increases are allowed under the teachers' contract, but said the students would be better off with more cuts at the administrative level.

If the economy improves, "it's easier to rebuild an administrative team than it would be to restore your programs and put teachers back in the classroom," he said. "I think that teachers understand, though, if class sizes go up it's not preferable, but what you have to do."

Other cuts under consideration in Greece include eliminating the school resource officer program that puts Greece police officers in the school buildings and maintenance cuts that would mean less opportunity for community groups to use schools for athletic events, meetings and musical programs. Prekindergarten students could also lose their rides to school, as would summer school students.

Achramovitch said the district is trying to balance programs and services for students with the burden taxpayers are willing to bear.

More details about what's on the table in other districts will be revealed in coming weeks as school boards continue their deliberations over next year's budget.