CROWN POINT -- A 4.53-percent rise in the Crown Point Central School budget's tax levy was reached only by taking drastic measures, according to school officials.

Superintendent Shari Brannock said layoffs were their only choice to close a 24-percent gap between revenue and spending in the 2008-09 budget.

She said student academic performance has been steadily increasing, so the need to make such severe cutbacks was especially troubling.

"We've had a great deal of academic success for our students. It's frustrating to have to make these cuts."

JOB CUTS

Seven positions were eliminated or reduced, and one job left open by a retirement will not be filled.

The cuts will save $334,000, Brannock said, and include 2.7 teaching jobs and 3.8 non-instructional positions.

They cut an administrative-assistant position by 30 percent and a technology teacher by 20 percent; reduced cafeteria monitor and clerk positions to half-time; made math, science and speech teaching positions half-time; and eliminated a full-time building monitor, teacher aide and music aide, a full-time elementary special-education teacher and a full-time academic intervention-services teacher.

"Everything that we could cut had to be cut," Brannock said. "We made cuts across the board. It's unfortunate."

JV BASKETBALL CUT

The district also eliminated planned purchases of new cafeteria equipment and told staff to go over their requests for next year because additional cuts might have to be made in the 2009-10 budget.

Also eliminated was the junior varsity basketball program for both boys and girls, some materials and supplies and summer curriculum work.

TAX RATES

Brannock said the district was promised more state aid but didn't get it.

Crown Point will receive $3.9 million in state aid next year, $58,000 more than this year. They had been promised about $79,000 more, the superintendent said.