Huntington Budget Vote Set for Tuesday, May 20
Faced with a widespread desire to keep any proposed tax increase as low as possible, Huntington School District officials worked for months to shave spending and develop a budget as lean as possible, while at the same time moving the district forward in a number of areas.
The final product, which trustees unanimously adopted, carries an estimated tax rate increase of 3.54 percent or $261 on the average home before STAR program reductions are calculated. Officials cut $2.4 million in spending during the budget development process
Residents will go to the polls and vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 20 in the Huntington High School lobby between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. For information on voter eligibility or absentee ballots contact Distrtic Clerk Elizabeth Troffa at 673-2126.
A last minute infusion of more than $1.2 million in additional state aid allowed trustees to dramatically lower the estimated tax increase. Trustees decided to use all of the new state aid to reduce taxes rather than increase spending.
Large increases in a handful of areas are the main culprits behind a spending increase of 4.45 percent. Expenses for general teaching and instruction ($1,489,344), programs for students with disabilities ($942,333), employee health insurance ($899,000), student transportation ($489,789) and Social Security ($189,000) are all going up. In all, spending would increase $4,418,059 if residents pass the budget.
“Staffing at our elementary schools will maintain the smaller class sizes the Board of Education has worked hard to achieve in the past,” School Board President Richard McGrath said. “At the secondary level, our robust Regents, honors and Advanced Placement offerings will not only be maintained but expanded. A full complement of extra-curricular offerings will continue to be available for our students in music, art, athletics, and after school club activities.”
As per the recommendation of the district’s internal auditor, there are funds budgeted to pay for the continued implementation of an accounts receivable system, including a centralized bid development system, monies to pay for higher refuse removal and utility costs and more money for insurance expenses.
Expenses for electricity are budgeted at $560,000 or $100,000 more than the current budget. Natural gas expenses are budgeted for a $50,000 increase to $560,000. Telephone services are budgeted to remain constant at $200,000.
Instructional salaries for alternative and after school education, including the alternative high school and after school literacy programs for elementary and middle school students are budgeted to rise $273,210, from $81,000 to $354,210.
Tuition for residential placements for students are budgeted to decrease by $227,000 to $800,000. Expenses for BOCES occupational education programs are expected to run $205,000 higher, going from $710,400 to $915,400. The amount is based on a three-year participation formula tied to the number of students attending the programs.
One bright spot is in Teachers’ Retirement System costs. Those expenses are expected to drop $65,000 as a result of a reduction from 8.73 percent to 7.63 percent in the rate the state charges districts on the salaries of members. The district is budgeting $3.535 million for TRS costs in 2008-09.
The proposed budget also includes $491,772 for new textbooks and workbooks, $62,532 for new library books, $105,000 for additional computer software, $130,791 for new instructional equipment, including computers and $12,800 for buildings and grounds department tools and equipment.
The 2008-09 budget funds 68 interscholastic athletic teams, 99 coaching positions and a full-time athletic trainer and it provides a full program of wholesome, adult supervised after school extracurricular activities, including about six dozen clubs for students in grades 4-12 and would allow for approved community groups to use school facilities.
A copy of the budget is available by logging onto the Huntington School District’s website at this link: http://www.hufsd.edu/assets/pdfs/budget/budget_adopted.pdf.
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