Financial struggles for New York schools

New York's Post Star (4/13, Aquije) reported on the financial struggles faced by school officials in many local districts as enrollment and available funds dwindle, "while the budgets and numbers of teachers" swell. "Education officials point to various obligations that drive budgets...higher, even when enrollment sinks." Those obligations include teachers' health benefits and retirement, the rates of which usually rise each year, and salaries, which "are the largest expense for any school budget" -- accounting for about 80 percent of school budget, these personal costs are extremely hard to decrease without cutting jobs. Schools also incur expenses through state and federal mandates that require special education programs, the purchase of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies, and annual audits. (Courtesy of ICMA Newsletter.)