Shelter Island School 2015-16 budget to stay within state mandates

The good news from the Shelter Island School District is that the 2015-16 budget won’t pierce the state-imposed tax cap.

But at Monday night’s budget hearing, the bad news arrived: This may be the last year the district can keep dipping into its fund balance — money ticketed for emergencies but used to fund the budget to stay within cap.

“That tax cap is going to become a problem for us in the next couple of years,” Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik said.

The tax cap this year is 1.6 percent. It varies year-to-year based on a formula that includes previous spending.

The superintendent compared the fund balance to a savings account. If you continue spending more than you’re earning and take money from your savings account to make ends meet, eventually savings are gone.

That’s what Shelter Island could face looking at the 2016-17 school budget, he said.

But Mr. Skuggevik pledged that the school’s staff and the Board of Education would continue every effort to spend less money on each budget item in the year ahead with the hope some money might be left to increase the fund balance.

Ironically, last year, the district was criticized for having more money in its fund balance than the 4 percent of its spending plan the state allows. But with $460,000 used to pay toward this year’s school expenses and a similar amount to be taken from the fund balance for 2015-16, the district will be close to that 4 percent.

And 4 percent isn’t much of a cushion, Board of Education Vice President Tom Graffagnino said.
This third budget hearing was focused on the educational component where a 3.85 percent increase in spending is anticipated. That would raise spending on the educational component from $2.81 million to $2.92 million.

Mr. Skuggevik focused on a few areas where he hopes to cut anticipated spending before the Board of Education approves a budget to be submitted to voters in May.

Equipment — tools teachers need to educate students — is currently projected to cost $16,837, a sharp increase from $4,030 in the current year’s budget.

Transportation costs — always a substantial amount because of ferry fares added to the cost of busing — raised concern among the board and attendees at the meeting. For example, there’s a $60,121 allocation to transport students to athletic events off-Island. That’s up from $35,700 this year.

The question was raised if the district could buy its own buses. Mr. Graffagnino said that has been considered in the past and determined to be more expensive than leasing. It’s not just one bus but at least two that would have to be purchased and then there’s the cost of drivers, insurance, gasoline and other related expenses.

A $63,058 expenditure to bus two students to an off-Island school is an addition to this year’s budget that must be met, Mr. Skuggevik said. He said efforts have been made to share transportation services with other districts where possible and ongoing efforts in that direction would continue.

There was some good news to deliver in the district’s accomplishments in the special education area, Academic Administrator Jennifer Rylott said.

She pointed to:
• Continued integrated co-teaching training in both the general and special education areas.
• Implementation of professional development for special education aides.
• Continued networking within the community to provide internships for students.
• A new effort to implement student-directed individual education plans.

In the past, parents and committee members have negotiated plans for students with special needs. But now, there’s an effort to involve the students in helping to develop the programs, Ms. Rylott said. She projected a 2-percent rise in spending for special education. The district currently budgets $1.03 million and that would go up by $20,307 to $1.05 million.

In February, Mr. Skuggevik outlined the administrative component of the budget that projects spending of $1.13 million next year, up from $1.04 million in the current year.

Next Monday at 7 p.m., he will discuss the capital expenditures of 2015-16 and the following Monday will recap the entire budget.

Then the Board of Education will have a few weeks to mull the proposal and make changes before they vote to approve a budget April 22.

Voters get the final word when they go to the polls May 19.