School District awaits Albany final budget: Without increase, cuts will come to meet mandate

It’s a waiting game for Shelter Island School officials.

Waiting and watching for action in Albany on the new budget that has generally been right on time since Gov. Andrew Cuomo took office in 2011.

What kind of aid the state will provide will affect the Board of Education’s continuing search for cuts to reduce spending. Those cuts and funds from Albany will determine the pledge to stay within the state-imposed 2% cap on tax increases.

The Board of Education doesn’t meet again to vote on the budget proposal that would be submitted to voters May 18. But news is expected on the state budget by April 1, indicating if there’s enough revenue to stay within the cap, as Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D. has promised, or more spending cuts have to be found. He said he and Board members are still reviewing the budget draft for possible cuts, but hasn’t focused on specifics he would recommend if needed. 

Mr. Doelger said he’s heard state school aid, once negotiations finish, could be 8% more than the allotment in the current school year. But even if that number is accurate, he doesn’t know how the money might be distributed in terms of how much the district would receive.

In its current draft, the district’s budget proposal holds state aid at the same level for the next school year as it has been this year.

Assemblyman Fred W. Thiele Jr. (I-Sag Harbor) announced that if the Assembly gets its way, the state budget would allocate $29.5 billion in general support for public schools, a 12% increase above the current school year aid.

The Assembly’s proposal also increases foundation aid — the largest unrestricted aid category supporting school district expenditures — by $1.4 billion, and that would be fully applied over three years. Plans call for at least 60% of that aid to be given in the next school year if the Assembly prevails, Mr. Thiele said.

The New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA) issued a call last week encouraging districts and individuals to lobby for increases in the governor’s proposed budget.

“While a year of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all, it’s been especially difficult for our students, parents and teachers,” Mr. Thiele said.

The State Senate proposal would increase total education funding by $3.5 billion above the governor’s budget proposal. The actual increase in state funds would be 6.6% with the additional money resulting from the recently enacted federal stimulus package. The Senate asks that federal money not replace any portion of state aid but augment it, according to the NYSSBA.

The Senate also would call for an increase in foundation aid, the primary source of general purpose operating aid for schools, that Mr. Cuomo’s proposal would hold flat.

Mr. Doelger noted that the allowable unallocated fund balance that is currently restricted to not more than 4% of the budget might be raised to 8%, but again, that is something that’s not confirmed, he said.

The district was called out by the New York State comptroller’s last year for having a fund balance well in excess of the 4%. Steps have been taken to take that undesignated overage from the general fund balance and allocate it to separate funds designated for specific purposes.

But Shelter Island has posited that the 4% figure is very low since any major unanticipated cost such as a single high needs special education student entering the district could throw the budget out of whack. That happened in New Suffolk several years ago when a single high-needs student transferred in the tiny school district during the summer, a couple of months after voters had approved that district’s spending plan. It forced the Board of Education to hold a special vote to increase spending that year.

On a related matter, the district received no petitions from community members requesting propositions be added to the May ballot. That deadline was last Friday at 5 p.m.

School board election

The district has three Board of Education seats open with at least two of three incumbents planning to seek re-election. Margaret Colligan and Karina Montalvo have said they will seek re-election. Board President Kathleen Lynch has not yet committed to seeking what would be a third three-year term if she runs and gets elected.

Ms. Colligan would be running for a second three-year term. Ms. Montalvo joined the Board of Education in 2020, replacing Jason Lones who relocated off-Island. Now she will ask voters for a three-year term of her own.

Candidates have until 5 p.m. on April 19 to submit petitions. Those who wish may pick up packets containing petitions at the school office, but they can also opt to print the petitions from the school website or use their own forms signed by at least 25 people.