Let’s cut to the chase. The Fredonia school district has received an 8% increase in state aid this year. The district can propose a zero percent increase in the tax levy that would cover the 1.9% capital project approved by voters last December with a near 2% extra to apply to the district’s highest priorities.

Essentially, state funds are paying for both. The big question is why is the district asking for an additional 1.9% on top of that. It seems arrogant to have a revote just because they didn’t like the outcome. Funny it never works the other way when it passes.

The answer is clear for many people. The district has not been making adjustments to rein in spending. In the last several years alone they have had several teacher retirements where the positions didn’t need to be replaced. Class sizes are small and would still be small.

Additionally, the expense of new positions from COVID grant money were supposed to be eliminated or at least absorbed through teacher retirements when the grant ended. The district has refused to do this. The savings from the attrition of teachers alone easily exceeds well over half a million dollars. It’s a painless way to save money where no teacher loses a job, although the district is top-heavy with unnecessary administrators.

There are numerous actions and strategies that can be taken to address school needs that do not require throwing money at them and are no secret to faculty and staff. As someone who has been attending board meetings, these problems were expressed both pre- and post-retirement. Nothing new. Sadly, too often when a teacher or staff member brings forward a problem, that person becomes the problem. Sometimes it seems as if the district is just checking off a box to say they did something, rather than dig to the root cause of issues.

Weak literacy is one such area that can be improved by getting back to consistent tried and true instructional methods, especially after the disaster of Common Core. Something is not working when ELA and Math scores are stagnant and even lower than the abysmal low state average. More than half of the students are reading below grade level. This deficit can be addressed with some training and guided by master teachers in the district who know how it’s done; not by hiring more people. Regarding professional development topics, good teachers research their craft to become more efficient regardless of what is offered. Whatever trendy presenter or program the school brings in, it is often overpriced, has little teacher buy-in and fairly quickly goes away with short sighted follow-up. If funded by a grant, it’s still tax money and most often wasted at a high price tag.

There are other actions that don’t require money and are too numerous to mention them all. For starters, require regular faculty meetings where teachers can and want to discuss problems and offer solutions, support higher standards for academics and behavior geared toward greater student accountability such as stopping the policy of giving no grade less than 50 percent and student behavior at assemblies.

Ask why teacher morale is at an all time low. Address class size. Younger teachers have become accustomed to small classes in the last decade or more.

What some fail to realize, however, is that older teachers in the profession for many years typically had at least 23-plus students. That’s hard to imagine with a class as small as 14 (or less). It seems like there’d be independent data to support a small size, but there’s not. Students achieved in larger classes. Good curriculum and management accomplishes this. Class enrollment can be higher. The current contract says 25, but by not replacing retiring teachers, even then, classes wouldn’t come close to approaching that number. The enrollment isn’t what it was years ago and the current model is too expensive.

It has been recommended that the school board conduct an independent survey of teachers to gather information. Certainly there are many good things happening at the school, but this would also identify problems; some of which might only be shared in confidentiality. While there are some parameters to follow, it can be done. The buck stops with them as elected representatives to right the ship. Most solutions don’t cost a dime. Not passing the budget will not “decimate” the district as claimed in a letter to the paper. Don’t fall prey to scare tactics demanding more money.

Last year the budget increase was about 8% and this year it is near 5% (4.85) with the current tax levy of 1.9. The district can’t keep demanding residents pay for this. Their expenses have gone up as well, yet their income has not increased at anywhere near this rate to cover what the district demands. Residents tighten their belts and make financial adjustments. The school must do the same.

Without some creative and out of the box thinking to address issues, they are really just rearranging the chairs on the Titanic and not achieving what they could.

Fredonia’s poverty rate is climbing and village residents are looking at an astronomical increase in their property taxes. Considering all of this and until there are real improvements, I will vote no on the budget and encourage others to do the same.

Mary Deas is a Fredonia resident and former teacher in the district.