Doelger boosts spending with comparisons to other districts

As Shelter Island School officials are looking ahead to their 2026-27 budget, they received word of several superlatives the district has earned, said Superintendent Brian Doelger, Ed.D.

Niche.com, which ranks schools at various levels based on key statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and reviews, lists Shelter Island in the top 10% of Best Public K-12 schools in New York State. The district is in the top 13% of Best College Prep for Public High Schools in the state; the top 31% in Middle School that covers grades six through eight; and the top 33% of the Best Public High Schools in New York State.

The district has again been honored this year with an AP Platinum Designation, making it the sole Suffolk County school to receive the distinction.

To achieve Platinum status, a school must meet specific benchmarks, including having at least 80% of graduates take one Advanced Placement exam; at least 50% of graduates scoring a 3 or higher on an AP exam, earning college credit while still in high school; and at least 15% of graduates who have taken five or more AP exams, demonstrating advanced engagement.

Shelter Island School District had to have two votes to pass its 202526 budget and had to roll back some programs to get a slimmed-down budget approved. The original ask was for $13.85 million and the budget approved a $13.285 spending plan. Because the original budget pierced the state-imposed 2% increase cap, the district needed 60 percent of voters to approve it. The district fell short of that by 40 votes.

It had come at a time when reassessments were rolled out, resulting in many taxpayers facing increases. Since they could do nothing about the Town’s operating budget plan, they entered the voting booth determined to say no to more increases and the school and Shelter Island History Museum both went down to defeat last May.

“Shelter Island, given our size and unique geographic location, continues to demonstrate strong financial prudence,” Mr. Doelger said.

He compared it with Bridgehampton, which is closest in size, but had a 2025-26 budget of $23.5 million with a per pupil cost of $116,914. The Island’s per pupil cost with its adopted budget is $69,990, he said.

“Other smaller districts such as Amagansett, East Quogue, Fire Island, Fishers Island, Quogue and Tuckahoe have equal or higher per-pupil expenditures, despite not operating high schools and, therefore, not incurring the associated costs,” Mr. Doelger said.

Shelter Island’s per-pupil spending is lower than that of nine other districts on the East End, the superintendent said.

“It’s easy to point to our per-pupil cost in isolation, [but] a deeper look shows we are operating with remarkable efficiency,” he said.

“As we move into budget discussions, I believe it’s important to share this context with our community [because] it tells a powerful story about how responsibly we manage taxpayer dollars while continuing to provide a full K-12 education,” he said.

The Island’s per pupil cost with its adopted budget is $69,990.