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As the district's enrollment has dropped each year, so has its staff, Briarcliff Board of Education member Jon Satran said.
"Since 2008-09, the board has addressed this issue," Satran said.
Since that year, the district has eliminated about 35 percent of its full-time employees, he said. In 2008-09, the district had 1,701 students with 332 total staff members. For 2013-14, the district is projecting about 1,547 students with about 227 staff members. That number for the upcoming school year is a reduction of 50 staff members, which includes 34 teaching assistants and aides as well as 12 full-time employees.
The reductions are status quo for many districts in the area, Satran said.
"About 60 percent of the district that I looked at have declining enrollment," he said. "Which is in line with declining full-time employees."
Even with the cuts in staff members, the district is still projected to have a tax levy increase of 6.7 percent, over the state mandated 2 percent tax cap. This increase is despite the budget for 2013-14 being only a $116,322 increase from the current year budget.
The Briarcliff School District Board of Education will adopt the 2013-14 budget on April 23 and it will be voted on by the public on May 21.
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