By ANDY GARDNER

MASSENA -- One local resident commented on the 2014-2015 school budget during a Tuesday night public hearing. She cited concerns over maintaining art instructors, also saying the district could save by offering early retirement options.

“I’m worried about art,” Robin Wolpin of Massena said.

Board member Loren Fountaine showed a presentation that said a cost-cutting measure involved a retiring art teacher, which Wolpin thought meant the position would go to attrition. But as Fountaine later explained, the district will hire a new teacher, saving money by paying entry level salary and benefits.

Wolpin suggested the board look into creating retirement incentives for teachers close to the end of their careers.

“They’re sitting around, ready to go using sick days and costing substitute money,” she said.

The 2014-2015 budget that calls for a 1.64-percent tax increase over last year.

Fountain said the owner of a property assessed at $100,000 can expect their tax bill to go up $21 from last year.

The spending plan is subject to voter approval on May 20.

It calls for total spending of $49,051,678 and $3,504,887 of that will come from the fund balance. It represents a 4.89-percent increase over last year.

The board was looking down the barrel of a $3.7 million budget gap, despite receiving $1.58 million more in state aid than last year.

“We are dependent on state aid,” Fountain said.

Some of the budget shortfall is due to anticipated expense increases of $2,537,563. The biggest jump is the BOCES bill, which is going up about $1.3 million. Contractual salary obligations will cost $683,734 more than last year and employee benefits are jumping by $855,965.

The budget calls for $202,000 in cuts to close the remainder of the shortfall.

There are two-and-a-half positions on the chopping block. One is a full-time custodial worker, who will either be cut or reassigned, Fountain said. They are also eliminating a half-time nurse position. A full-time teacher will go to attrition when the person retires.

Classroom printers are getting phased out. They will not be replaced when they die. The classroom supply budget is getting slashed by half and miscellaneous ancillary supplies are getting cut.

“These cuts are not final, they are subject to change,” according to Fountain.

To create and extra revenue stream, the district will rent server room space to St. Lawrence-Lewis BOCES.

Five new 66-passenger buses will be purchased from the general fund, at a cost not to exceed $523,705.

The district in the past has included bus purchases as a separate ballot measure, but instead chose to buy them as a budget line item. They will not be purchased through bonding.

Business manager Nick Brouliette said this will save money as interest payments.