No teacher cuts anticipated
The Shelter Island Board of Education is looking at proposed budget figures that would result in no cutbacks in teaching staff or educational programs and stay within the state-mandated 2 percent tax cap.
With only partial figures made public to date, it’s not yet possible to show a full comparison of the proposed budget with the current school year spending plan of $9.6 million.
On February 29, in the second of three budget presentations he has slated with the School Board, Superintendent Dr. Michael Hynes called for a cut in contractual teacher support expenses for field trips and equipment repair from $27,525 to $24,773 and a cut in equipment, material and supplies of $7,163, from the current $71,630.
Curriculum development would remain at $14,143 and BOCES services for non public school textbooks would rise slightly from $20,153 to $20,758.
Costs for pupil services — library, guidance, health, psychology and computer instruction — would drop from $190,160 to $186,387.
Costs for special education services are projected to rise from $576,814 to $614,700, he said. That figure is based on expectations of services the district is mandated to deliver to special education students. The services may be offered on Shelter Island, at BOCES or other special schools, depending on specific student needs.
The number could escalate or decrease markedly if one high-needs student entered or left the district, Dr. Hynes said.
He has called for a 15-percent cutback in spending on co-curricular activities and a 7-percent rollback in what the district has been spending on sports programs.
No decisions have been made about exactly what cuts to make in co-curricular activities — clubs that are educational in nature but not part of the school’s actual curriculum, Dr. Hynes said.
While acknowledging that all classrooms need equipment and supplies, he told the board and 16 people who attended the February 29 budget meeting that the district “will have to do more with less.”
Allocations for equipment, contractual expenses and materials and supplies will have to be reduced by 10 percent to comply with the 2 percent property tax cap, Dr. Hynes said.
Dr. Hynes said he expected to reduce the custodial staff by one position. At the same time, he stressed that nothing is written in stone and all numbers are subject to change.
Dr. Hynes estimated a drop in costs for providing students with technical training in such fields as aviation, automotive repair and culinary skills from $95,440 to $60,500. He projected an increase in summer school enrichment and reinforcement math and language arts programs for elementary school students. The price tag would be $21,250, up from $20,506 this year. The English as a second language program is anticipated to remain level at $2,000.
The next budget meeting will be at 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 12, when the superintendent will outline anticipated costs for operations and maintenance of the building; auditing and legal costs; various administrative functions, including the Board of Education and district clerk; and debt service.
April 18 is the date the Board of Education plans to formally adopt a budget proposal for the next school year. A May 7 public hearing on the plan has been scheduled prior to the May 15 public vote.
