Contingency Budget Would Mean Massive Cuts
When residents fail to pass a budget in New York State school district there are real life consequences. Districts are required to operate on a so-called contingency budget if residents defeat a proposed budget in two separate votes. Such a scenario in the Huntington School District would result in a mandatory cut of $3,564,539 in spending.
A contingency budget (also known as austerity) would slash the proposed budget of $108,786,539 to $105,222,000 as per a state formula that kicks in when voters fail to approve a district’s budget.
If Huntington School District residents turn down the proposed budget on May 18, trustees will meet and decide what to do next. In most such cases, a district either resubmits the same budget to a second vote or reduces spending and the projected tax increase before sending it back to voters.
Of the more than $3.5 million in reductions that Huntington School Board members would be required to make, $367,479 would come from administrative cuts, $2,803,535 would be cuts to the educational program and $393,525 would be from the capital portion of the budget.
Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said a contingency budget would lead to “massive” reductions. Some of the possible contingency budget cuts include:
• Full day kindergarten reduced to half-day kindergarten.
• An additional reduction of librarians.
• Elimination of the elementary SEARCH/REACH programs.
• Reduction or elimination of the elementary art and music programs, including studio art, band, orchestra, chorus and instrumental lessons.
• Reduction of school psychologists and social workers.
• Reduction of secondary electives and Advanced Placement courses.
• Reduction or elimination of clubs at the intermediate, middle school and high school levels, including theatre arts/drama.
• Elimination or reduction of the interscholastic athletic program at the middle school and high school levels.
• Elimination of arts-in-education program funding.
• Elimination of the science research program.
• Elimination of Huntington High School and Finley Middle School marching bands.
• Elimination of the alternative high school program.
• Elimination of facilities use by community organizations where additional expenses are incurred.
• Possible elimination of Huntington High School’s College Counseling Center.
• Reduction or elimination of Advanced Placement and Regents review sessions
• Elimination of elementary health teacher.
• Elimination of all equipment, including technology except state-aided computer hardware.
• Elimination of the transfer to capital budget line.
“This is no disputing that a contingency budget will mean real cuts to many of our most cherished programs,” Mr. Finello said.
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