Schools

Walkabout Grads Spark Rethinking of Briarcliff Budget

Briarcliff's Board of Education adopted a tax-cap compliant budget this week before deciding to find a way to continue funding the Walkabout Program.

In the final minutes of a four-hour-long meeting Monday, Briarcliff Manor's board of education decided to find room in the tax cap-compliant budget it adopted earlier for The Walkabout Program.

More than three hours earlier, during a presentation of a proposed $46,785,000 budget, Briarcliff High School Principal and future Superintendent Jim Kaishian told the board, "We have opted not to fund The Walkabout Program for the upcoming school year."

The tuition to send BHS students to the program is estimated to be $77,670 in 2013-14 and Kaishian noted the administrators believe "those are students we can accommodate in the district."'

He said three students have so far been accepted into the BOCES-run program for the coming academic year.

Kaishian also later mentioned BOCES will likely decide later this month whether in fact the program will continue at all next year due to a declining enrollment.

"There's a lot of pressure and it is in danger of folding because it is supposed to be a self-funding separate program," he said.

A slew of speakers ranging from alumni of the Walkabout Program, to their relatives and a mother whose son was accepted into next year's program, all implored the board to reconsider.

Walkabout Alum Charles Wild, as well as his brother and mother, were among those speakers.

"We all had such a profound life-changing year in Walkabout," he said. "It would have more of an effect than you guys are aware of."

Loretta Oleck, who said her son was accepted into Walkabout next year shared, "It’s just so heartbreaking that he is not going to have that experience if this is cut."

Oleck added that she works as a clinical psychotherapist who has counted Walkabout students among her clientele.

"I have seen the unbelievable transformation they have gone through," she said.

Marilyn Johsnon Fleder, part of "a Pocantico family," said her two children—one Briarcliff and one Pleasantville grad—each attended Walkabout.

"The one who came to Briarcliff—it saved his life," she said. "For the other one, it opened her eyes and made her an ambitious person."

Board President Sal Maglietta noted that cutting Walkabout was not among the items presented in the first budget adoption, which failed to receive the 60 percent supermajority vote it needed May 21 to override the state tax cap.

"This was not the decision of the board," he said. "This was the decision of the voters."

Trustee-elect Paul Wasserman in addressing the board repeated prepared comments he shared at the previous meeting.

Find out what's happening in Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"My analysis shows there is plenty of money in this budget for student programming—Walkabout included," he said.

Aaron Stern provided a similar sentiment.

Find out what's happening in Pleasantville-Briarcliff Manorwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Responding to a presentation by Maglietta earlier in the evening that included figures from Assistant Superintendent for Business and Technology Stuart Mattey disputing claims from Wasserman, Stern said, "There were some items left out of that presentation."

"There are plenty of resources within this district to have a tax-levy compliant [budget] without cutting programs," he told the board.

Kaishian outlined $661,000 total in reductions compared to the first adopted budget that keeps the tax levy underneath the state cap. This budget will require a simple majority of voters on June 18 to approve it.

The proposal did not call for any additional use of the district's fund balance (the prior week's proposal called for $175,000 toward the levy), a total of 3.9 more full-time equivalent employee reductions and $310,00 in program reductions, including Walkabout.

He added, "If this budget is not passed, the law requires a 0 percent increase in the tax levy year-to-year. So it is 1.184 million that would have to be eliminated from the program."

Briarcliff Teachers' Association President Mary Beth Craven said she was "disappointed" the first budget did not pass, noting the "Briarcliff educational experience may be in jeopardy."

Trustee Michael Haberman said he understood the public's concern over cuts and was personally not pleased with some of the recommendations.

"I hate to cut our writing lab," he said. "But I have to trust our educators."

Maglietta eventually noted that despite a "personal struggle," the board should "cut [Walkabout] completely" and "we have to deal with the consequences of that" given the administrators' recommendation.

The board unanimously adopted the $46,785,000 figure.

As the public session winded down, however, Superintendent Neal Miller stated, "I just don't feel good about what happened here tonight."

His comments that followed referenced "an extra $100,000 coming," adding, "It involves me."

Said Maglietta, "I would love to fund [Walkabout]...If you are telling me you guys can sort it out...then let's leave it in."

Following the meeting, Mattey clarified in an email to Patch, "If the program is offered by BOCES then Briarcliff will approve its students to attend."

This does not affect the total budget figure adopted by the board.

Mattey explained that in order to fund the students' attendance, "...funds may have to be transferred, as allowed by law, if necessary, and only if the program itself is continued by BOCES and if there isn’t enough money from other discretionary spending in that BOCES code."

There will be a mandatory budget hearing on Tuesday, June 11.

The public vote on the budget is Tuesday, June 18.


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