Behind the BOE's 7-2 Vote

The Sachem Board of Education voted 7-2 in favor of adopting the 2013-14 budget on Wednesday night. The new budget will meet the tax cap of 3.14%, but will require cuts to programs such as GATE, full-day kindergarten and 50% funding of all co-curricular clubs. 

Though the board voted with an overwhelming majority, there were two dissenting votes. Trustees Doug Duncan and Robert Scavo voted against adopting the budget as it stands. 

Scavo cited the fact that he voted in favor of Sachem's district reconfiguration back in 2000 on the premise that full-day kindergarten would become a reality. Stating that he couldn't in good conscience adopt a budget that slashed full-day kindergarten 13 years later, he put his thumb down.

Duncan's issue was with the district flier that informed the community of nine items that would be slashed if the 7.49% budget failed. Since that budget's failure, however, the board has reneged on those cuts and has found further reductions to accommodate groups pleading their case before the board. Duncan said the board needed to carry through on its plans presented to the community or it could bring the board's credibility into question.

"This has got to stop," Duncan said before casting his no vote. "Let's not tell people we're gonna cut items one through nine to get to a 3.14 if we're not gonna do it. "When people asked me about the budget, I said 'there's nothing else to cut.' Well apparently there was other things to cut. I told them, 'this is what we have to cut to get down to a 3.14 because we've cut everything else that resembles fat' but apparently we didn't because we have this proposal. I can not vote yes on this budget. We need to stick to what we put out to the community."

So does the Sachem Board of Education have a credibility crisis? No, says Trustee Michael J. Isernia.

"I think there was obviously some confusion with what went out [to the community]," Isernia said. "But there's no question that we put out a 7.49 percent budget and 54 percent of the community said to us 'hey, we want these programs for our kids.' Anywhere else in America that would have been enough. There was just no way I could, with a clear conscience, ignore the majority to the detriment and allow the minority to control. We've been very respectful to the minority in getting it down to the tax cap."

Trustee Michael Timo also took issue with the flier that was presented to the community, calling the sheet of paper "a piece of garbage" on numerous occasions. Trustee Dorothy Roberts called the new budget "a good compromise." 

For Isernia, he remains optimistic that the budget will pass. 

"I'm cautiously optimistic," he said. "I believe that hopefully now the people that came down will, for the greater good, vote yes. I understand the kindergarten parents are upset, but hopefully the rest of the community will rally behind this and vote yes."