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FUSS has money problems. Our pledge income for the upcoming year, as of this writing, stands at $306,022. We have functioned this year with a budget of $409,000.
That number pays for a half-time DRE. We have been understaffed in Religious Education for several years, but have functioned because both Mindy and Melissa have consistently put in more hours then they were paid. They love this congregation a great deal and because of that love have worked the extra hours that were needed to get the job done.
This is a justice issue. It is not fair that we do not pay for the work that we receive. Our RE program is one of the largest in our district, yet we do not have a fulltime RE director. According to the UUA staffing guidelines, a program of our size should have a full-time DRE, as well as a paid part-time assistant. One of our DRE applicants last year told the search committee that she would only consider applying if she had an assistant. It is clear that we are behind the times. A part-time DRE who works solely within the paid hours will not be able to support our RE program. We are staffed for decline.
FUSS’s leadership is facing difficult decisions. We have cut, cut and cut again, and still next year’s budget remains unbalanced. At our annual meeting on May 18, we must propose a balanced budget to the congregation.
Where will we cut next? Will we halve the three council’s budgets to try to live within our means, sacrificing programming in the process? Will we not hire any RE staff person for the coming year? Who will run that vital program? Will we look to no longer pay our “fair share” to the UUA and the St. Lawrence District and therefore put our district into a budget crisis? Will the moneys that we proudly raise every year for programs like SICM and ARISE be redirected to fund our congregational needs?
Will we ask the youth group not to raise money next year for their social justice trip, but instead to fundraise for FUSS? Do we close our doors for the winter months to save on heating bills?
My friends, times are hard. Everyone is feeling it. How can we keep this wonderful place going? This is what our leadership will be wrestling with in the coming weeks.
People were asked to pledge more money by early May. The Finance Committee will look at the sum of our financial commitments, and will put together a balanced budget. The board will then meet to approve that budget to go before the congregation at the annual meeting May 18..
So much love, hope and healing comes from this congregation. As a community, we support and orchestrate many good works. FUSS is the foundation for this outreach. We must pay to keep the foundation intact in order to serve those in need.
It is time to do some “in-reach.”
In faith, Kathy
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Kathy McGowan, Board President