The Bedford Central School Board, under pressure from constituents to cut the proposed school budget for next year and avoid losing a second budget vote, asked Schools Superintendent Bruce Dennis to come back to them Thursday night (June 1) with additional cuts that will increase spending by only 5.8 or 5.9 percent.

If the budget is voted down again on June 20, the district would be required by state law to adopt a contingency budget that would allow for an increase of only 120 percent of the rate of inflation, or 2.64 percent.

According to a compromise formula put forward at a budget session Wednesday night by School Board Member Mel Comberiati, the board agreed to establish a goal of splitting the difference between the spending increase called for in the first budget and what would be required if the budget were to fail again.

Supplementary spending

The board is also considering the possibility of including a supplementary spending proposal on the ballot in addition to the basic budget that is put forward.

BOARD MEMBER ELIN SULLIVAN

Items that have been taken Out Of the basic budget and may be included in the supplemental spending pack-age include $267,000 in capital projects, including the replacement of Windows at the Pound Ridge Elementary School and the elementary school's gym Poor.

Other possible candidates for the supplemental proposition include bus purchases, $30,000 for transportation of students to private schools, a first grade teacher at Bedford Village Elementary School, an English as a Second Language teacher, a foreign language teacher, and $10,000 for the gifted and talented program.

TOC criticized

Board Member Nancy Stein accused the Taxpayers Oversight Committee (TOC) for being "underhanded and manipulative" with some of their tactics in opposition to the budget. She also criticized them for being satisfied with nothing less than defeating the budget twice in order to force the district to go to contingency.

"This is not the community I have known, which has always shown broad support for public education," she said. "We are shocked, but we have no intention of reverting back to the divisiveness of past years."

Dr. Comberiati commented that he had been getting the same phone calls in opposition to the budget that everyone else on the board had been receiving. He said that it was not possible to reconcile the "two groups" that were at odds with each other in the community and called for a toning down of the rhetoric.

Board Member Mark Slivka accused one or two members in the community of "trying to create rage or incite us." tie blamed the budget's defeat on the low voter turnout.

Critic attacks

Mr.  Slivka was answered later by outspoken budget critic Phil Christe who accused him of "pandering to certain groups of voters to get the budget passed."

"You're just a guy who wants to get 'the budget passed by one local constituency, and the hell with everyone else," he said.

Mr. Christe later explained that what he was referring to was the board's singling out of parents in the district as its only constituency group. "They should put out a budget that everyone can support," he said. "We're all in this together."

He accused board members of using "fear and intimidation" and criticized them for referring to "budget cuts" when the proposed spending increase is considerably higher than the rate of inflation.

Board Member Elin Sullivan said that she was gratified at the public turnout at the board's budget session on May 24 and praised the "poise and passion" of the many high school students who spoke calling it "very moving."

But she also commented that the vote on the budget on May 16 was not close. It was defeated by 469 votes, 1,834 to 1,365.

"To propose the same budget again would be arrogant," she said. "We must avoid a contingency budget."

Board Vice President Dot Fallon agreed saying that there Was a significant vote against the budget, not just a lack of turnout.

"We must be sensitive to the election results and recognize community feedback," she said. "We need to be successful on this second budget vote. No one would benefit from an austerity budget, not the students, not the home owners, not anyone," she said.

The fourth and final public session on the proposed budget before the June 20th vote will take place on Wednesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. at the Fox Lane Middle School. At this meeting, the budget and any supplemental propositions will be adopted.

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