East Williston’s Union Free School District has proposed a 2.45% tax levy increase to fund its budget, a number exactly equal to the district’s tax cap for the year.
The district’s projected $72,451,803 financial plan includes the addition of a districtwide security coordinator, a part-time literacy coach, and part-time social worker, capital projects like Wheatley roofing repairs, playground improvements, and district-wide flooring replacement, student support services, and new extracurricular activities, said Deputy Superintendent Diane Castonguay, who gave the budget presentation.
Castonguay broke the budget into three categories: administrative, which accounts for 10.7% of the budget and includes school board expenses, business and administrative costs, and district-wide curriculum development; capital, which accounts for 10.8% of the budget and includes building renovations; and programs, which accounts for 78.5% of the budget and includes instructional and support staff salaries, textbooks, school lunch, co-circular and athletic activities, and student support services.
The administrative component of the budget is listed at a potential 2.78% increase from last year, the capital component is listed at a potential 2.64% increase, and the program component is listed at a potential 1.54% increase, she added.
Overall, the budget’s main drivers include salaries, benefits, transportation, special education, and capital improvements in the form of renovations, Castonguay added.
The district also presented a separate, in-depth segment on its Student Support Services financial plan, which falls under the district’s larger programs category of the budget. Executive Director of Student Support Services Lynn Mazza proposed a budget of $2,888,150, which covers elements of the district’s special education and educational support for students with disabilities.
This year’s May 20 ballot will include two propositions: One, to adopt the proposed the budget, and two, to transfer $376,876, plus accrued interest, from the district’s 2015 capital reserve to its 2023 capital reserve so the district can fund the completion of certain construction and renovation projects sooner.
The district has three remaining budget workshops, March 12, March 19, and April 7, prior to the district-wide budget vote on May 20. District residents who are registered to vote with the Nassau County Board of Elections can cast their ballot between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Wheatley School Gymnasium on Election Day.
