Trustees Adopt Austere Budget
for 2011/2012
After repeatedly reviewing a draft budget line-by-line, Huntington School Board members voted 6-1 to adopt a spending plan to fund district operations during the 2011/12 school year. Residents will vote on the proposed plan on Tuesday, May 17.
Trustees agonized for weeks over the $5.7 million in cuts that were necessary to bring the estimated tax rate increase down to 3.15 percent. The budget totals $109,037,301, an increase of $250,762 or 0.23 percent over current year spending.
If the plan is approved by district voters, the tax rate would go from $200.83 per $100 of assessed valuation to an estimated $207.16. The projected annual tax increase for the average home assessed at $4,000 would amount to $253.20 before STAR savings are factored in. Trustee Elizabeth Black was the lone "no" vote on the plan.
The budget eliminates the full-day kindergarten program, replacing it with half-day sessions. The plan abolishes 96.4 instructional and non-instructional positions, including more than 40 teaching posts. It trims a wide variety of programs.
"No one is happy about having to eliminate the positions of so many talented teachers and dedicated employees," Superintendent John J. Finello said. "There is also no joy in cutting popular programs. We've tried to maintain as much of what makes Huntington special as possible."
The budget includes funds for Regents, honors and Advanced Placement courses, the high school science research program, academic fairs and competitions, clubs and sports teams, student council organizations and newspapers, drama clubs, band, chorus, marching band, orchestra, specialized art courses and the district art show and the heralded SEARCH program. It provides for special education services and academic support initiatives.
Late additions to the budget included reinstatement eight kindergarten teacher aides, one school psychologist and the Saturday Academy program for students from kindergarten through eighth grade who are struggling to meet state proficiency standards, and funds to purchase 128 netbooks for use in the four primary schools.
The plan allocates $616,354 for new textbooks and workbooks, $50,014 for new library books, $90,000 for computer software and $119,208 for instructional equipment, including computers.
The district was faced with a "perfect storm" of declining aid and sharply rising costs. Mandatory state retirement system costs are expected to rise by $2.035 million and employee health insurance costs are slated to increase by $1.65 million.
The district's state aid has been reduced by more than $1.2 million in the recently enacted state budget. The district is also losing $1.425 million in federal stimulus program funds.
The budget adopted by trustees anticipates a decline of $300,000 in assessed property values to $45,500,187, which translates into a loss of more than $600,000 in property taxes. Assessed values have been trending lower in recent years. Falling values put upward pressure on tax rates.
Spending on bus transportation is budgeted to rise by $209,043 to $8,975,008. This year's transportation budget reflects the costs associated with transporting 5,304 eligible students, including 4,286 to the seven buildings in the district, 85 special education students to 23 additional sites and 933 students to 27 parochial and private schools on Long Island as required by law. The district currently contracts for 56 large buses and 77 vans to transport students.
The plan approved by trustees allocates $1.995 million in reserves to help control the increase in property taxes. The total amount of property taxes collected would rise by $2,277,800 to $94,258,187. Miscellaneous revenues are expected to decline by $900,000 to $1,866,100.
Should residents fail to approve the budget and force the district to operate on a contingent or austerity plan, an additional $199,208 in equipment will have to be cut.