Superintendent Timm Tells Pine Plains School Board: ‘We Must Be Prepared’

With student enrollment down nearly 44% since 2004 and possible budget cuts on the horizon, Superintendent Brian Timm cautioned the Pine Plains Board of Education that difficult choices may lie ahead.

“In 2004–2005 we had 1,393 students spread out over three buildings; currently we have 783 spread out over three buildings,” Timm said. “We may need to consider spreading our students over two buildings instead of three.”

On Nov. 6, at the second of his three workshops on school budget planning, Timm highlighted enrollment trends, class sizes and potential budget impacts.  

His first workshop, last August, alerted the board to potential state budget cuts, including a possible $4 million reduction in the district’s Foundation Aid, which currently represents almost half of Pine Plains’ $8.5 million state funding package.

Timm’s analysis, based on the Basic Education Data System — an annual census conducted by school districts across the state —  revealed that Pine Plains’ student population dropped by 610 students over the past 20 years. That 44% decline is more than double the 17% decrease statewide.

According to Timm, the average classroom size in the Pine Plains Central School District has shrunk to 16 students — smaller than the 22-student average in public schools across the state. “Many factors affect class size,” Timm said. “Almost one-third of our seniors and one-fourth of our juniors utilize [Dutchess] BOCES [Board of Cooperative Educational Services] — they’re out of the building a half day every day. We also have some AP classes with fewer than 10 students. But the community has spoken through our strategic plan: They want those classes available.”

Despite the enrollment decline, the number of instructional staff, such as teachers, social workers and teacher’s aides, has remained static over the past five years at 131. “It’s fair to say that smaller class sizes mean more attention from teachers,” Timm said. “But as we face budget constraints, we must balance what we want with what we need.”

Future enrollment is not expected to improve in the next three years: Timm estimated there will be a 16% drop for grades six through 12, and a 4% drop for pre-K through fifth grade. “Next year I’m hoping we’ll have more pre-K students because of the situation that happened during the COVID pandemic — that increased the population,” Timm said. “We are waiting for these students to become compulsory school age, but I just don’t know if the rebound will be to the point of where we were two decades ago.”

Timm blames the declining school census on the lack of affordable homes in the district. “My personal opinion is that the housing market poses challenges to young families with children trying to buy a home. That impacts the incoming class numbers,” he said, “And that’s in any school district, not just ours.”

The discussion also touched on budgetary roadblocks and remedies. “There are some costs that are out of our control, like unfunded mandates,” Timm said. “These are state recommendations we have to comply with — and pay for, too.” 

Board member Chip Couse agreed. “Some mandates are truly expensive,” he told the Herald. “The district has to hire an independent company to do the five-year building condition survey; we must provide transportation to distant schools if needed by a special education student; we also have significant training requirements for all staff — and board members — on a wide variety of social issues, like bullying and sexual harassment.”

Timm said the school buildings are the district’s best potential source of savings. “We really need to take a look at our infrastructure,” he said. “We must have a conversation about the best use of our buildings and resources. All three buildings need repair, and we’ll have to decide which ones.” (According to Couse, the high school and Cold Spring Early Learning Center are over 50 years old, and Seymour Smith Intermediate Learning Center is over 90 years old.)

Personnel administrator Julia Tomaine and the superintendent posted the workshop slides and videos on the district’s new web page, Future-Ready Organization: Information Center. The site’s stated purpose is “for everyone to be informed on the status of the district as we navigate through the future of public education in New York state.”

Timm said, “We have to keep in mind that our Foundation Aid is still uncertain — we won’t have clarity on that issue until Gov. Hochul releases her budget in April 2025, giving us very little time to produce our budget [due in early May]. That’s why it’s imperative to fully understand these workshop topics so we’re better able to make unrushed, intelligent financial decisions when the time comes.”

Infrastructure, resources and building utilization will be covered in a third workshop, yet to be scheduled.