Shelter Island Reorter Editorial: Vote ‘Yes’ on the school budget

The headlines say Shelter Island is one of only two Suffolk County School Districts to pierce the 2% spending cap with its proposed $13.57 million budget, a 2.07% spending increase. The tax levy — the amount of spending that comes from taxes — is at 6.78%.

But those numbers don’t tell the story.

Unlike neighboring districts, it costs Islanders 41% of their tax bills to support the school compared with taxpayers in neighboring districts who pay between 64% and 81% of their tax bills for their schools. 

New York State has not yet approved its budget, so the number plugged in for state aid for the 2026-27 school year is only what was received for the current school year. In addition, another $100,000 could reach Town coffers to support the district’s Pre-K4 program.

And what does that 41% buy you? Highly educated students, many of whom consistently go on to study at top colleges and universities. Thanks to college courses taken while still in high school, there are students who finish their four years of college in two-and-a half to three years, not four, saving families tuition costs.

If Shelter Island School were to close, residents would lose the thousands of hours Island students contribute to community service. And that’s not to mention the programs the school offers representing the heart of the community.

The district wouldn’t close if the budget is rejected, but it would have to find $513,934 in cuts to keep from piercing the cap. To do that, there would have to be cuts in whole or part from extracurricular activities, athletics, cafeteria operations, field trips and staff.

A defeat of its initial budget last May saw the district lose its Pre-K3 program. The district got a one-year reprieve thanks to the cooperation of the private Early Childhood Learning Center, the members of the Presbyterian Church session, and Shelter Island Town. Losing preschool programs can spell the beginning of the end of the local school district since students who start school off-Island generally don’t return.

And what would you gain? Not money.

Loss of the school would cost, among other expenses, tuition set by a receiving district, transportation, costs of unemployment insurance for those who lose their jobs and funds that must be paid to retirement funds for those already in that system.

The best bang for your buck is to fund the school you are fortunate to have.