What Happens if Voters Reject the Huntington School Budget?
If voters in the Huntington School District reject the proposed school budget on May 17, trustees have several options. They can submit the same budget for a revote, place a revised plan on the ballot or adopt an austerity/contingent budget. If residents reject the budget again in a second vote, state law imposes a cap on any spending increase over the current year's plan.
The budget adopted by the Huntington School Board at its April 11 meeting includes an increase of 0.23 percent in spending, far below the level allowed under the section of state education law that regulates what happens if voters fail to approve a district budget.
If Huntington is required to operate on a contingent budget next year, trustees would have to cut $199,208 in equipment from the plan they have placed on the May 17 ballot. Spending would need to be reduced from the proposed amount of $109,037,301 to $108,838,093.
A contingent budget also includes a cap on administrative expenditures. The cap requires that the administrative percentage of the budget, which is determined by dividing administrative costs in three broad budget categories, cannot exceed the same calculation performed in the last voter approved budget.
During the budget development process the district reduced spending in the "carry-forward" budget by more than $5.7 million. The "carry-forward" budget refers to the cost of operating an identical year-to-year program.
"The cuts to the budget adopted by trustees this spring come on top of millions of dollars in reductions during the previous three years," Superintendent John J. Finello said.
The budget that will be placed before residents on May 17 includes the elimination of 96.4 instructional and non-instructional positions, including more than 40 teaching posts.