Year in Review: Shelter Island School in 2025

For the first time in his tenure as school superintendent, Brian Doelger, Ed.D., saw the proposed school budget for 2025-26 defeated by voters last May.

It was also the first time the Shelter Island School budget totaling $13.85 million went above the state-imposed 2% cap forcing a requirement of 60% of voters to approve the spending plan. The budget fell 40 votes short of that requirement.

There was speculation from community members and Board of Education members, including:

• For the first time, voters were asked to act on a proposition to fund the Shelter Island Historical Society — now named the Shelter Island History Museum — to the tune of $275,000. It was the first time the two propositions had been on the same ballot. That proposition failed by a vote of 536 against and only 239 favoring. Was the coupling of the two propositions a contributing factor?

• For the first time in several years, properties were being reassessed and many taxpayers were facing a substantial increase in their bills. Was this a way to express displeasure about spending?

• Was piercing the tax cap a step too far for voters?

Perhaps all of these factors contributed to defeat the school budget but the result forced a hard decision.

• Submit the same budget, still needing a 60% margin to pass

• Cut spending to stay within the tax cap and hope voters would approve the revision

• Go to a contingency budget in which the State Education Department would dictate cuts in spending that would block any equipment purchases for any reason; block use of school facilities to community groups; and cut programs that would negatively impact students

None were attractive but ultimately, the Board of Education approved submitting a revised budget that would not pierce the tax cap but would require major cuts, including ending the district’s pre-K3 program.

The revision that slashed $556,443 from the original budget proposal passed handily in June with 502 approving a $13.285 million spending plan to 125 still opposed.

What hurt most was loss of that pre-K3 program, which brought together school and Town officials along with representatives of the struggling Early Childhood Learning Center and the Presbyterian Church leaders to discus the future.

The private Early Childhood Learning Center and the Shelter Island School’s Pre-K3 had worked well together, with children attending a morning program at the church and then teachers walking students across the street to what was referred to as the “big school” for added hours. It had freed parents of the young students on their work days.

Hard work and cooperation among all the players has resulted in a program serving all the young children at the Presbyterian Church, solving this year’s crisis.

The administration, staff and Board of Education have already been working on the 2026-27 budget and will hold its first public workshop on Jan. 12 at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Board’s regular monthly meeting.