School fund balance would cover bus costs if voters approve

The Board of Education completed budget workshops Monday night putting forth an $11.3 million budget proposal that won’t go above the state-mandated tax rate cap even if a proposition to provide transportation to Our Lady of the Hamptons (OLH) passes in May.

The current budget is $10.96 million.

Should the proposition that would extend the radius for transportation from 15 miles to 16.5 miles pass, money to pay the estimated $70,000 cost would come from the district’s fund balance, not new taxes.

Kathleen Springer made the case for the transportation, noting that she and other parents whose children go to OLH pay Shelter Island taxes but get no services from the school district. She pointed out that before Stella Maris closed in 2011, the district provided transportation to that school and Bridgehampton currently provides service within a 25-mile radius.

Ms. Springer said the decision to send her children to a parochial school was based on her own experience of elementary education outside of the public school district and she wanted the same for her children.

At the same time, she said that decision isn’t a negative assessment of the public school and she expects her children to attend classes on Shelter Island when they are ready for junior and senior high school.

She called the request for an extension of 1.5 miles beyond the 15-mile radius “a reasonable difference.”

Business official Tim Laube said the state formula for calculating the tax rate cap would allow Shelter Island to raise its tax levy to 1.26 percent. While the district is raising it to 1.28 percent, not all of the expenses are counted against the tax rate cap, he said.

The critical number for taxpayers is the anticipated increase they will see on their bills next year — $33.17 for those whose properties are assessed at $850,000, the median assessment. For those whose property is assessed at $500,000, they will see an increase of $19.51 and those whose property is assessed at $1 million will pay $39.02 more next year.

Those numbers could change slightly if the annual property assessments change, Mr. Laube said.

Board members agreed there was no reason for another budget workshop this week to finalize their proposal. There will be an April 19 adoption of the proposal and a May 8 hearing. Voters get their say on both the budget and transportation proposition on May 16.

There are also three board members whose seats are up this year and petitions to run for a seat must be submitted to the district clerk by 5 p.m. April 17. Those whose terms end this year, but who may seek re-election, are Alfred Brigham Sr., Linda Eklund and Elizabeth Melichar.