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School administrative costs could rise 4.1%

CHARITY ROBEY PHOTO Idowu Ogundipe, the business leader of the Shelter Island School.
CHARITY ROBEY PHOTO
Idowu Ogundipe, the business leader of the Shelter Island School.

In the second of a series of school budget meetings, district business official Idowu Ogundipe told the Board of Education Tuesday night administrative costs could be $1.3 million, up $52,680 from the current year’s spending.

But that number, as with all numbers being outlined at this stage of budget talks, could change when the board and the public weigh in on the proposal in ongoing sessions.

The administrative part of the budget encompasses salaries, contractual obligations, travel and conferences, materials and supplies and the district’s share of costs of Eastern Suffolk BOCES.

If the numbers stay the same, administrative salaries would rise from $827,346 this year to $856,335. Contractual obligations include payments to the Employee Retirement System, the Teachers Retirement System, Social Security and Medicare and health insurance premiums.

It would also include payments to those waiving medical coverage and the cost of  Flex spending plan. The increase would be 4.32 percent from $352,439 this year to $367,660 in the 2018-19 school year.

The highest increase there is in Social Security and Medicare payments that would go up 9.25 percent from $60,831 this year to $66,459 in the next year.

This is the second piece of the budget Mr. Ogundipe has outlined. Earlier this month, he presented the draft for salaries and benefits that, if unchanged, would see salaries increase by 4.54 percent and benefits go up 3.91 percent.

The educational program costs will be up for discussion at the next session at 6 p.m. Monday, January 29, to be followed by a February 12 discussion of capital spending and facilities costs.

Then the Board of Education will begin looking at places to to curb spending to stay within the state-imposed tax cap that has yet to be determined.