Trustees Continue Draft Budget Review
Huntington School Board members engaged in a lively discussion over funding for curriculum, instruction and staffing during their third March meeting to consider the district's 2013/14 budget. The plan was released in draft form earlier this month.
District officials expect to learn this week how the newly crafted New York State budget will impact Huntington's state aid. The new figures will be incorporated into a revised draft budget that will be released to the public during the Huntington School Board's meeting on Monday, April 1.
The district's working draft budget totals $114,707,235, an increase of 2.55 percent over the current year. Huntington's tax levy is capped under state law at 2.83 percent. The budget-to-budget increase will be lowered to 2.24 percent before the financial plan is adopted by trustees this spring. Officials said higher state pension plan assessments and health insurance premiums are the main reason for the rise in spending.
Superintendent James W. Polansky said the draft budget includes funding for a full array of Regents, accelerated, honors and Advanced Placement courses, an extensive special education program, continuation of the elementary SEARCH and high school science research programs, and monies for after school clubs and interscholastic athletics.
Mr. Polansky said there is also some good financial news. The district's debt service is set to drop by $930,663, going from $1,991,832 to $1,061,189 as Huntington's debt continues to dwindle. An expected change in the starting and ending times of some elementary school buildings will produce a savings of $148,654 in transportation costs.
"The payoff of a 1993 bond issue last July has placed us in a better position to address 2013/14 budget challenges, as the reduced debt service has at least partially offset the significant pension and insurance increases," Mr. Polansky said.
The teaching staff is expected to remain almost unchanged. Two less elementary school teachers will be needed, but 1.3 more teachers on the secondary level are projected.
The draft budget would produce an estimated tax rate increase of 3.88 percent. Officials said a combination of increased state aid and spending reductions will reduce the projected tax rate to more than 3.52 percent.
Should voters fail to pass the 2013/14 budget, state law requires trustees impose a contingency budget and mandatory cuts totaling $3,063,350, including $622,941 in equipment. Officials said such cuts would touch nearly every area of school district operations and result in higher class sizes, fewer course offerings, possible changes in bus transportation services and less clubs and sports teams.
The draft budget under consideration assumes that assessed property values will decline by $300,000 to $44,813,410 resulting in a loss of more than $625,000 in revenue for the district. Final assessment figures will not be released by the town until next September, more than two months after the beginning of the district's new fiscal year on July 1.
Trustees will discuss an updated draft budget and new revenues figures at their next meeting public meeting on Monday, April 1. The budget will be adopted on Monday, April 15. A budget hearing will be held on Monday, May 6. All of the meetings will be held in the Jack Abrams School auditorium at 7:30 p.m.
District voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 21 at Huntington High School between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.