Huntington School District voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 21 to cast ballots on the proposed school budget for 2019/20 and a capital reserve fund proposition and to elect two members to the board of education. Voting will be held at Huntington High School from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The proposed budget totals $133,488,443, an increase of 2.83 percent over the current year’s spending plan. Huntington’s tax levy will increase an estimated 2.58 percent if residents vote to approve the spending plan on next week’s ballot.
The proposal on next Tuesday’s ballot provides for the continuation of a complete slate of Regents, honors and Advanced Placement courses, comprehensive art, music and physical education programs, including marching band, orchestra, chorus, band, music ensembles and specialized art courses and interscholastic athletics for grades 7-12.
The SEARCH and Math Olympiad programs will continue for academically talented fifth and sixth graders. An extensive program of special education classes and services will also continue, as will academic intervention services for students needing assistance to meet state standards.
The proposed budget furthers interdisciplinary STEM initiatives throughout the district, maintains the K-5 dual language program and the fifth and sixth grade FLEX program and it augments the district’s commitment to the high school science research and robotics programs.
Funding is provided for more than five dozen athletic teams and 100 coaching positions along with a full-time athletic trainer. The budget also keeps the current bus transportation program and mileage limits in place.
There are monies for the high school college counseling center and extra-curricular activities at Jack Abrams STEM Magnet School, Woodhull Intermediate School, J. Taylor Finley Middle School and Huntington High School, including drama club productions, student council organizations and student newspapers. Intramural programs are also funded.
The budget allocates $372,640 for new text/print resources, $41,900 for new library resources, $93,000 for new computer software and $200,000 for new instructional equipment, including computers and tablet devices. The plan provides for the continuation of the district’s 1:1 computing device initiative.
Trustees allocated $1,400,000 in reserves to help mitigate the estimated tax rate increase, which has been revised downward to a projected at 2.42 percent after the town assessor notified the district that its assessed valuation will rise to $45,032, 203. (An expanding tax base drives the tax rate downward.)
Trustees will set the tax levy in the fall when final property assessment figures are available. Should the total assessed valuation rise above the projected amount, trustees would be in a position to lower the estimated tax rate increase. School officials estimate the 2019/20 tax rate will be $245.16. Taxes would rise on the average assessed home in the district by $198.07 before STAR program savings are calculated.
Capital Reserve Proposition
Residents will also have an opportunity to vote on a Building Improvement Fund/Capital Reserve Fund proposition that includes $3.846 million worth of projects. The Huntington School District currently has about $4.5 million in available capital reserve fund monies.
If voters support release of the funds, property taxes will not increase since the monies are already in place. No new revenues are required. The funds represent dollars previously provided to the district by taxpayers that weren’t needed to pay for regular school operations because of tight fiscal management and economizing. The source of the funding is the annual transfer of surplus monies from the district’s general fund to the Building Improvement Fund.
The projects that will be on the May 21 ballot include:
Huntington High School
- Replacement of the original set of boilers that are more than 60 years old: $1.5 million
- Partial roof replacement: $1 million
- Turf athletic field replacement: $650,000
- Perimeter netting system replacement and enhancement at the turf athletic field: $55,000
- Replacement of goal posts at the turf athletic field: $41,000
J. Taylor Finley Middle School
- Replace the building’s original student lockers that are 54 years old: $600,000
District total: $3,846,000
Trustee Election
Residents will also have an opportunity to elect two members to the Board of Education. The top two vote-getters will serve three year terms commencing on July 1 and running through June 30, 2022. Candidates include current trustee Bill Dwyer and challengers Michele Kustera and Joseph Mattio. (Longtime trustee Bari Fehrs is retiring and not seeking re-election.)
Eligibility to Vote
To be eligible to vote in the election, an individual must be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older, a resident of Huntington School District for at least 30 days and be registered to vote in a general election or with the school district. For more information contact District Clerk Joanne Miranda at (631) 673-2126 or jomiranda@hufsd.edu.
A copy of the line-by-line proposed budget is available by visiting the Huntington School District’s website at www.hufsd.edu. A 14 page brochure containing information about the budget and capital proposition and profiles of the three Huntington School Board candidates has been mailed to all addresses in the district. The publication is also available on the district website.
Contact Superintendent James W. Polansky at jpolansky@hufsd.edu for more information about the budget and capital reserve propositions.