Education

School budget remains elusive

JULIE LANE PHOTO Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik struggles through his first budget, trying to provide a proposal that will gain board approval and then voter’s OK next month.
JULIE LANE PHOTO
Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik struggles through his first budget, trying to provide a proposal that will gain board approval and then voter’s OK next month.

Board of Education members are still unable to endorse a budget proposal to put before voters in May.

In addition, they continue to send a message that by this time next year, they’re unlikely to be able to stay within the state-imposed tax cap for the 2016-17 budget.

At a budget hearing Monday night, Linda Eklund told her colleagues, “I don’t believe that I have a fair handle on this budget to vote for it.” That’s not a threat to vote no, she said, but a plea for more information on how some cuts to educational materials could be restored.

Ms. Eklund and her colleagues will take another stab at the 2015-16 budget Monday night in the hope of finding money in the plant maintenance and operations budgets that can be used to restore cuts in some educational programs.

The current proposal still stands at $11.269 million and is unlikely to change much if at all. Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik pointed out that the district can only control a small part of its spending with the rest locked in by either mandates or contractual agreements.

Shelter Island Faculty Association President Brian Becker wanted the board to understand cuts to educational programs would have consequences. Teachers wouldn’t have requested funds at the outset if the materials weren’t needed, he said.

While the cuts made to date aren’t “catastrophic,” he added, they’re materials that will be needed in the future and not something that can continue to be dropped from the budget.

“This is the third year of putting Band-Aids on things and it’s getting to the point where Band-Aids aren’t going to hold much longer,” Mr. Becker said.

“There’s no board member up here who wants to cut anything from our students,” member Thomas Graffagnino said. But from the time the state imposed a 2 percent tax cap, he said, it was inevitable that the district would eventually reach a point where it would be faced with such budgeting challenges.

After a week’s break, teachers returned to school Monday to find Superintendent Leonard Skuggevik appealing to them to revisit budget requests that had already sustained cuts and determine if more cuts were possible.

But Ms. Eklund said in all of her years on the board, she has always proceeded with the understanding that cuts would be made in areas that don’t affect student learning by slashing other parts of the budget.

Her colleagues agreed and several other reductions had been made in the past week, including some that affect the board and administration.

The board is also considering ending the video taping of every meeting and, instead, taping only budget meetings, the July reorganization meeting and a few other sessions. That’s something that could be restored if enough people object and indicate they depend on being able to view meetings remotely.

One major expenditure that will get attention from both the union and board is health insurance premiums, which amount to about $100,000 a year.

The board will begin exploring other insurance companies that can provide benefits at the same level for less money.

“Nobody is looking to cut coverage,” Mr. Graffagnino said.

Building and grounds supervisor Mike Dunning, whose budget could have cuts, was still away and due back by mid-week. His input is needed to restructure cuts to other parts of the budget.

Monday night’s meeting is at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, April 22, the board needs to adopt a budget proposal on which voters will act on May 19.

With two incumbents announcing last week they wouldn’t seek re-election, there are two board seats open. Potential candidates have until Monday April 20, to submit petitions bearing at least 25 legitimate signatures to get their names on the ballot.