A snapshot of Valley Stream Central’s spending plan: repairs and rebuilds

The Valley Stream Central High School District held its annual budget tour and inspection throughout its three high schools and Memorial Junior High School last Saturday, providing community members with an in-depth look into the financial needs and considerations for the upcoming budget.

Reflecting last year’s budget decisions, which entailed an $11 million increase in the 2023-24 spending plan, the district directed funds towards various big-item initiatives. This year, the district plans on investing  $2.26 million in capital improvement projects alongside two propositions for capital reserve fund expenditures.

Rather than large-scale renovations and upgrades, the district’s current financial focus is on mending and repairing existing infrastructure under much more modest spending terms without the generous inflow of pandemic aid.

Last year's budget priorities

District-wide improvements in last year’s budget included the introduction of new musical instruments, state-of-the-art lockers, and a district-wide music festival at Carnegie Hall.

Additional expenditures aimed at enriching student experiences are initiatives like free SATs for all students, Culturally Responsive Instruction training for teachers, and expansion of programs such as Girls Inc. and My Brother’s Keeper. The district also committed to maintaining existing programs, including mental health wellness centers and technical training initiatives.

Despite a notable increase in spending, the district demonstrated fiscal responsibility by leveraging a generous $10 million boost in state aid, maintaining the tax levy at approximately $87.9 million for the second consecutive year in 2023.

Financial snapshot for upcoming budget

This year’s budget tour and inspection provided community members an opportunity to gain insights into each school’s current wish list of improvement items.

At North High School, the need will be on enhancing facilities with projects such as a HVAC upgrade and replacement, alongside other basic improvements like an interior gymnasium partition wall replacement and main office furniture. Exterior maintenance projects include concrete and blacktop repairs. The total budget for North High School projects is $235,000.

South High School is set for interior library furniture and flooring renovations as well as interior gymnasium wall padding replacement and similar exterior repairs, contributing to a total budget of $235,000.

At Central High School, a significant portion of the budget, $895,000, plans to be designated for diverse projects including library, gym lobby and auditorium renovations. Additional funds are directed to upgrading the main office furniture, guidance suite flooring and paint, as well as miscellaneous exterior repairs.

Memorial Junior High School will see allocations for furniture replacement and the completion of the fire safety system upgrade, accounting for a total budget of $628,000. Exterior maintenance projects are a priority as well.

At the district level, a budget of $270,000 has been set aside for initiatives such as the Interior Instrument Replacement Program and the acquisition of a large school bus for transportation services.

In a separate planned allocation for capital reserve fund expenditures, the Memorial Maintenance Garage is to change with the creation of a Construction Trades Facility, for which a roughly $2.55 million investment is needed. A second planned proposition aims to dedicate $1.16 million for gymnasium window replacements at North, South, and Memorial.

Nothing, however, has been finalized. “As we move ahead in this process, our district administration team, in consultation with members of the board, will decide on which of these capital projects will be included as part of the proposed 2024-2025 annual budget,” said Superintendent Wayne Loper. The district is set to approve its budget at its March 5 board of education meeting. The formal budget plan for the public’s consideration will be presented on February 6.