Residents: Get your calculators out

While the state mandated that all school district budget votes be on the same day in May, it never required school district to change the date of their public budget hearings.

However, the Hewlett-Woodmere School District did change its date and will hold a public budget forum on March 30. Residents will have the opportunity to ask questions of the administration and Board of Education regarding the proposed school budget.

“We were one of the first districts to have a public forum before we get our numbers in,” said BOE Vice President Stephen Witt, who noted that if budget hearings are held after the district adopts its budget they have no value for community members. “Residents are given the opportunity to provide input and concerns about the budget, not for us to present the budget because we won’t present it until after we’ve heard from the public since sometimes we change our mind.”

The Hewlett-Woodmere School District’s current proposed school budget is $103,388,325; an increase of 2.5 percent from last year. Due to mandates, increases in retirement and health programs, a cut to state aid and new expenses, the initial budget amount presented to residents in December has increased by 6 percent, officials said.

At more than $29 million, Instruction and the Stay-in-School Program is the largest function the school funds and includes contingency funding for medical leaves and any required teaching or support staff increases.

Special Education and Speech may cost the district more than $15 million as Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s current budget proposal calls for shifting the responsibility of those costs from the state to local districts. That potential shift would have the district paying between $250,000 to $300,000 more for those students, depending on enrollment. That is triple what the district is currently paying.

Assistant Superintendent of Business Dr. Peter Weber said staff cuts have been made in the district based on declining enrollment but that the decline is less pronounced than other districts throughout the county and is expected to grow in 2018. He added that changing enrollment numbers impact staffing and programs which in turn effects the budget.

“These are difficult times for all public schools, and it is important to hear questions and opinions from members of the community,” he said, regarding the upcoming budget forum.

Central Council PTA Co-President Cheryl May said so far she hasn’t seen anything shocking in terms of teacher reductions. “The cuts are enrollment driven which is very important to parents,” she said. “There weren’t a tremendous amount of cuts that would hurt the education of the children.”

May said it’s important for residents to attend budget forum so they can hear the information first hand. “Things can get lost in translation,” she said. “So it’s important for people to go.”

It is the resident’s responsibility to come out to the forum since the board has to make difficult decisions and needs the input of the community, Witt said. “If there was ever a time to encourage residents to come to the forum it would be now,” he said. “As of right now it’s too soon to say how we (the board) feel (about the proposed budget.) We’ll be in better shape after the public forum.”

The Hewlett-Woodmere Public Budget Forum will be held on March 30 at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Woodmere Education Center at I Johnson Place in Woodmere.