BY VICTORIA CARUSO
Herricks School Superintendent Fino M. Celano has proposed a $125.31 million budget for the 2022-23 fiscal year, a 1.99 percent increase from the current year.
The proposal calls for a 0.05 percent increase in the tax levy, which the district said fell below the state tax levy cap.
“We are very happy to be in that place,” said Lisa Rutoske, the assistant superintendent for business. “That’s taken a lot of work and a lot of advocacy efforts on behalf of our community, our parents, our board, and our administration over the last few years.”
A first draft of the proposed budget was presented by Rutoske and Celano at a Board of Education meeting on Thursday. Further discussion is expected to take place at budget meetings on March 10, March 24, and April 7. The budget adopted by the board will include feedback from the community and will be presented for voter approval on Tuesday, May 17.
The district expects an increase in total state aid of $2.2 million over 2021-22, a 15% increase from the legislative budget approved last March. Rutoske said she is grateful for the increase in state aid but said that the district has been “underfunded for years.”
The proposal was broken down into three parts, including program, capital and administrative expenditures.
According to the proposed budget, the majority of the 2022-23 school year’s funding will be used for the students’ day-to-day experiences, with 73 percent of the budget allotted for programming. Capital spending accounts for 13 percent of the budget, and administration makes up 11 percent of the budget.
The proposed budget would preserve and support all of Herrick’s academic programs, as well as provide funding for extracurricular programs, music, arts and athletics.
Some highlights include funding for social-emotional learning programs, instructional technology improvement, and updated facilities.
The district plans to fund a partnership with Northwell Health for crisis intervention, and fund additional social worker staffing at the middle school.
Regarding facilities, the proposal includes bathroom renovations at the Searingtown and Center Street schools, art room renovations at Searingtown and the high school, and technology classroom upgrades at the middle school.
The district also plans to complete an initiative to provide each student with a Chromebook, which has been at the center of its technology goals.
The budget proposal is a first draft and Celano encouraged community members to ask questions and offer suggestions. The school budget vote will take place at the Community Center Gymnasium on Tuesday, May 17, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
