School Budgets Reaching Looming Deadlines

District officials prepare final push amid State tax cap

By Chad Kushins

With an upcoming April deadline, and facing the additional pressure of New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s controversial “two-percent tax cap”, local school district officials throughout Suffolk County are enacting a “final push” to pass their respective budgets for the coming year.  Among those districts now making public presentations and offering workshops to entice public support are our four local school districts; Smithtown, Kings Park, Hauppauge, and Commack.

Since the tax cap was first announced earlier this year, school districts, across the state, began to make alterations to the amount of funds they would have available come budget time. Districts have made cuts in faculty and hiring, programming, and a school closure.  As the budget deadline approaches, the four school districts, have taken proactive measures to reach out to residents and to address concerns.

One of the most prominent variables this budget year is the State-mandated “tax cap” of two percent.  Under the new law, the “cap” establishes a limit on the annual growth of property taxes levied by local governments and the school district to “two percent”, or the rate of inflation.  The cap is universally determined by which of the two numbers is the lowest; in essence, a limit on a normal tax levy.  But whereas a tax rate – the amount collected from each property owner – may be more or less than the increase in the levy, depending on the decrease in property values in a given town, the tax levy is the actual amount of tax money collected by the Town and finally allocated to each school district. 

Under normal State guidelines, each district’s Board of Education [BOE] is obligated to assess a tax levy for the coming school year.  This figure is the total amount that the Board determines will be needed to balance the school’s budget after State Aid and other revenue sources are taken into account.  The overall levy is then projected before the school budget vote in May – just over one month away – yet the school board can amend the levy if conditions change prior to the levy is finalized in September.

This year, with cuts affecting every school in New York State, the new “tax cap” was met with almost unanimous skepticism by district officials, all of whom have been scrambling to determine their own budgets with the “cap” adjustment in mind. 

The school districts’ budget votes will be held on May 15^th.

Commack

Just this month, Commack Superintendent Donald James surprised many residents within the district with his March 15^th announcement that he would be taking a “pay freeze” for the coming year, urging fellow faculty members to do the same. 

Under the Commack district’s proposed $170 million budget, school officials are considering laying off 40 to 60 teachers, one administrator, two secretaries, six custodians with an additional $700,000 in cuts or savings.  Additional program cuts could include the elimination of assistant coaches for 16 sports teams, elimination of the varsity swim team, and elimination of a list of co-curricular clubs and honor societies –much to the chagrin to vocal residents.

According to James in a recent statement on the district’s website, the option of renegotiating contracts and potential pay freeze have been put to the teacher’s union for consideration.  James claimed a teacher’s pay freeze, would save the district nearly $4 million and eliminate the need for many cuts.

“As the leader of this District, I fully understand that many among us are dealing with great financial strain,” reads the superintendent’s statement.  “We must work together to do what is best for our children and our community.”

Commack’s next budget workshop will take place on March 29^th at 8pm at Commack High School.

Hauppauge

Even with the “tax cap”, the Hauppauge School District’s proposed budget includes numerous items, displaying growth contasting the overwhelming cuts in other districts.  In February, Superintendent Patricia Sullivan-Kriss initially presented the district’s proposed budget, explaining the needed add-ons which account for the full $98.5 million.  Sullivan-Kriss’ suggestions include the hiring of seven teachers, purchasing three vehicles, and a proposition for renovations at two elementary schools.

“We’re at a 2.9 percent levy increase, which is well-below the tax cap,” Sullivan-Kriss told Smithtown Matters.  “We were able to do that, in part, thanks to settling contracts with the union.  We worked well together and were able to bring in contracts that were below the cap – and even propose some new hires.”

Sullivan-Kriss continued, “Naturally, the feedback from the community has been positive.  Over the last three years, we’ve seen 25 percent of our administrative staff reduced.  So, the idea that we created such efficiency with personnel has been great.  But, just like with all of the districts, going forward in the future, it will be more and more difficult as we face additional cuts.”

Even with the district’s purchases, the proposed budget stays within the state’s new two-percent tax levy cap.  According to Sullivan-Kriss, the district is hoping to hire 5 full-time special education teachers for its integrated co-teacher model in the elementary schools, a full-time teacher for its “Languages Other Than English” programs, and a full-time Literacy Collaborative support person to support reading instruction.  However, the proposed hiring of new faculty does come at a cost: letting go 16 teaching assistants currently employed within the Hauppauge district.

Other changes to the budget include funds to purchase two minibuses and a maintenance van to replace the district’s aging transportation fleet and a separate proposition for renovations at Forest Brook and Pines Elementary School.

Hauppauge expects to lose $296,976 in foundational aid and $10,804 in BOCES aid under Cuomo’s budget. 

Kings Park

In Kings Park, budget cuts and a population increase made for a predicted 28.6 student class size in their upcoming sixth grade classes.  With this in mind, the district is current proposing a 2.7 percent levy, putting $130,000 back into the budget, either creating a new teaching position, or keeping a current faculty member on-staff, to aid in easing the burden of a larger class population.  Additionally, Kings Park is looking to create one new clerical position and a groundskeeper. 

“We are waiting for some additional information as far as increased state aid to the district,” Kings Park Superintendent Dr. Susan Agruso told Smithtown Matters.  “We are also waiting to get the final word on which teachers may be retiring at the end of this year – that also factors in to the final proposal.”

Like many other school districts, teachers in Kings Park’s sixth grade work in teams of two teachers, one to cover each core subject.  According to Agruso, proposing an 11th teaching position or keeping one member of the staff for the sixth grade could, potentially, drop the class size to 28.6, down from the initial 31.5 prediction. 

The State cap for the district is 2.9 percent, which if used, would boost the budget an additional $140,000.  However, a 2.7 percent tax levy would increase the budget by $130,000 and set the budget at $80,537,086 – according to the district’s most recent update.

Aside from the proposals to maintain a workable faculty size, proposed cuts to the district’s budget include phasing out French language classes, decreasing offered electives, consolidated bus runs, and the termination of four bus drivers.

The district held a budget workshop on Saturday, March 24^th at 9:00am at Kings Park High School.

Smithtown

The Smithtown Central School District has not yet released its proposed budget, although the district was hit hard by state cuts.

“We will be adopting [the budget] on April 17^th,” said Superintendent of Schools Edward Ehmann.  “In the meantime, like other districts, we’ve been conducting workshops and posting updates in regards to what the parameters are for the coming expenditures.  As of now, we know what the tax levy will be.”

Ehmann continued, “So, we’re at a point right now where there is a consensus of agreement with the BOE to close the gap and what we can do under the tax cap.”  The Superintendent did state, however, that current cuts and plans would most likely result in having to add three or four more students to each class in the high school.  But, he added, “the impact is small.”

One major casualty of recent cuts is the announced closing of Nesconset Elementary School, set to shut its door indefinitely at the end of the school year in June.   According to the district, the decision was made due to rising costs and declining enrollment.

The district’s Citizen Advisory Committee first made the closure recommendation in an over 200 page report in January of this year.  The report says Nesconset Elementary School has higher utility costs, lower classroom capacity and limited future enrollment potential compared to other schools.

The closure is expected to save the district one million dollars, according to the BOE.  Several teacher positions are expected to be eliminated in the district following the Nesconset closure.

Ehmann says the current fifth grade class at Nesconset Elementary School will go to Great Hollow in the fall.   Students remaining in elementary school will transfer to Mills Pond Elementary School in Saint James this fall.

From there the fate of students after graduating Mills Pond is unknown, says Ehmann.  The Board of Education will decide in the  coming months where to send Mills Pond graduates – either Great Hollow Middle School, Nesaquake Middle School or a combination of both.

The closure could mean graduating fifth graders are reassigned to new middle schools across the district as the district rearranges the feeder pattern into existing middle schools.

The district will hold its next community budget information meeting at April 4^th at 7:00pm the district’s administrative building, 26 New York Avenue, Smithtown.  After the April 17^th budget adoption, Ehmann claims that members of the district will be making themselves available to both discuss and make presentations “to constituents to explain the details” of the finalized budget.