Huntington School District voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 18 to cast ballots on the proposed school budget for 2021/22 and a capital reserve fund proposition and to elect three 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 $139,315,854, which will provide a full educational program for 4,400 students in eight school buildings. Officials have said the proposed plan will keep Huntington UFSD in a strong financial position. The projected tax levy is $1,715,400 below the district’s tax cap.
The proposal on 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, among other academic and co-curricular initiatives.
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 also includes a transfer to capital line in the amount of $525,000 to fund a solar energy project at Flower Hill Primary School. Residents earlier authorized a similar project at Southdown Primary School.
Trustees allocated $3 million in reserve funds to help mitigate the estimated tax rate increase, which has been revised downward to a projected at 0.20 percent after the town assessor notified the district that its assessed valuation will rise to $44,915,291. (An expanding tax base drives the tax rate downward.)
The projected tax rate increase is believed to be the lowest in more than four decades, if not much longer. 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 2021/22 tax rate will be $245.16. Taxes would rise on the average home assessed at $3,400 in the district by $17 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 $3.525 million worth of projects.
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.
Capital projects on the May 18 ballot include:
Huntington High School—Partial roofing replacement: $1.45 million; J. Taylor Finley Middle School—Parking lot renovations (Phase I); replacement of original gymnasium bleachers; replacement of gymnasium hallway flooring: $1.175 million; Jefferson Primary School—Replacement of two original building boilers: $900,000.
Since May 2016, residents have approved over $17.1 million for completion of capital projects. The district will receive millions in state aid reimbursements over the next 15 years as a result.
Trustee Election
Residents will also have an opportunity to elect three members to the Board of Education. The top three vote-getters will serve three year terms commencing on July 1 and running through June 30, 2024. Candidates include current trustees Christine Biernacki and Lynda Tine-D’Anna and challengers Thomas Galvin and Theresa Sullivan.
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 16 page brochure containing information about the budget and capital proposition and profiles of the four Huntington School Board candidates was sent 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.