School Board Decides on Returned State Aid

During its regularly scheduled monthly meeting Wednesday, Sachem Central School District's board of education decided how it would allocate the $2.5 million in state aid that was restored to the district late last month. 

Coming by a majority vote on a leaning, the board decided to use $400,000 to lower the tax levy. The remaining $2.1 million will be moved to reserve funds. 

The proposed budget of $287.8 million adopted by the board on March 16 remains the same. The budget to budget increase in the tax levy, though, will decease from 4.8 to 4.49 percent. With the decrease in the tax levy considered, Bruce Singer, Sachem's assistant superintendent of business, estimated that the budget to budget increase would result in an increase of approximately $262 per family per year, or $21.83 per month. 

Almost immediately upon being introduced, the allocation of the $2.1 million to reserve funds was met with opposition.

“I personally would like to see jobs restored now,” board trustee Christine Lampitelli said to a round of applause from the teacher-heavy audience in the auditorium of the Samoset Middle School. 

Singer said doing so would result in an increase in the already adopted budget. He said by allocating the $2.1 million to reserves the district allows itself the option to use the funds if needed throughout the year.

“It would give the board more flexibility when class sizes even out,” he said. 

Singer also noted the challenges that will be faced down the road as a result of having to use reserve funds to meet the 2011-12 budget. 

“Next year’s budget will be a difficult budget,” he said. “There will be approximately a twelve to fifteen million dollar deficit because we used reserves this year.”

Even with the majority of the returned state aid allocated for reserve funds, the board announced that a review of the budget allowed for eight district-wide teacher positions to be reinstated, as well as an attendance aide position. 

Several times the board reiterated that the Gifted and Talented Program was not being cut nor is the Frost Valley program. In addition, Sachem Superintendent James Nolan detailed the changes to sports, saying middle school teams will be reduced from two teams to one, and that the same goes for jayvee programs as there will be only one team and not a jayvee-9 and jayvee-10 team.

The budget goes to vote Tuesday, May 17. In the event that the budget is voted down by the public, three options exist: the budget can be revoted on, a new budget can be offered, or a contingency budget will be adopted. In the event of the latter, Singer noted that an additional $1.4 million in cuts would be needed. 

Before the budget goes to public vote, the board of education meets once more for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, May 4.