The East Williston Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously voted to adopt a $56.7 million budget proposal, which would stay below the tax cap and maintain current programs with an added emphasis on STEM – science, technology, engineering and math – programs.
The $56,687,113 proposal marks a 1.68 percent or $938,079 increase on the current year’s $55.7 million budget. The projected tax levy increase for 2015-16 is 1.80 percent.
“Because of the assistance and planning of our Financial Advisory Committee, we’re able to project a plan not just for one year but for years ahead,” Board of Education President Mark Kamberg said, “continuing to not have to cut programs…to add to it, improve and repair our facilities, all while remaining below the allowable tax cap limit.”
The budget proposal will go before voters on May 18.
The proposal, which continues to chip away at the district’s debt burden, increases funding for a number of STEM-related programs, including the creation of a robotics club at Willets Road School, more coding opportunities for students and the implementation of year two of the district’s Project Lead the Way Engineering program, a hands-on, applied problem-solving curriculum.
“One of the biggest things I’m excited about is that we’re able to provide support of STEM literacy and integrated code teaching models throughout the district,” Kamberg said.
The budget proposal would increase staffing at Willets Road School, the district’s middle school, by 1.8 full-time-equivalent faculty members to have one full-time AIS support teacher in math and English each for grades five and six.
The middle school would also add a part-time teaching assistant to restore the school’s fifth-grade intramural program, which was cut during the economic downturn.
“The good news for the fifth graders is that we’re going to put a 0.2 teaching assistant position back into pace,” principal Stephen Kimmel said at a budget presentation last month.
Kimmel also said the school would increase sixth-grade English Language Arts instruction to a two-block period per day from 1.5 blocks.
“It really brings us in line with other middle schools,” he said.
At North Side School, the district’s elementary school, the budget would fund classroom libraries for kindergarten through fourth grade and additional Chromebook carts for kindergarten through fifth grade, along with increased wireless capacity.
“Teachers are using that technology all the time,” principal James Bloomgarden said in his budget presentation.
The district has a projected enrollment of 1,722 for next school year, which would bring spending to about $33,000 per student if the budget passes. That figure is comparable to neighboring districts like Great Neck and Roslyn, according to figures provided by the East Williston Financial Advisory Committee.
The budget proposal also includes a number of capital projects, including fire alarm system upgrades at Wheatley and North Side, exterior lighting upgrades district wide, extended fencing at the baseball and softball fields and asbestos tile removal and replacement.
Since the 2013-14 budget, the district dramatically increased its funding for capital projects. The rise also coincides with East Williston’s creation of a capital reserve fund.
“We’re able to plan without additional costs to the community because of the community support of the capital reserve,” Kamberg said. “We’re able to shift the unused funds in our budget to the reserve to do the many projects that are needed without incurring the huge dollar costs of interest, lawyers and bond counsel.”
In 2012-13, the district budgeted $225,510 for capital projects, according to figures provided by the Financial Advisory Committee. The adopted proposal budgets for about $570,000.
Since the 2011-12 year, the district has decreased its debt burden from $17.9 million to about $11.2 million, according to the Financial Advisory Committee.
“Because you’re stabilizing your budget as the bonds roll off…you’re able to use the funds that once went to cover the expense of the bond and put that back into the needs that directly impact the children,” Kamberg said.
Overall, Kamberg said he is proud of the budget proposal.
“I’m proud of the work that the administration was able to do under the direction of the Board of Education,” he said. “Right now, you’re seeing a very good functioning East Williston School District… I think the Board of Education works well together and as a result we’re able to accomplish the things we need to for the children of East Williston School District.”
