Franklin Square schools gear up for budget vote

The Franklin Square elementary school district’s proposed $50.2 million budget for the 2024-25 academic year will increase the tax levy by 2.2 percent, falling within the state tax levy cap.

The district includes three pre-K through sixth grade schools: John Street School, Polk Street School or Washington Street School.

The proposal is a 4 percent increase from this year’s budget. It does not include cuts to any programs or staffing within the district. It plans to expand extracurricular clubs and the SCOPE program and continue the education board’s low class size goal.

The budget’s three major parts are administrative, program and capital.

The proposed overall administrative budget is $4.9 million, an approximate increase of $200,000 from this year. This accounts for the costs associated with the education board, district clerk, superintendent’s office, curriculum department, legal department and other offices.

The proposed overall program budget is $39.7 million, an approximate increase of $1.6 million from this year. The programming budget accounts for funding extracurricular activities, transportation, library media centers, school lunch, health services and other areas.

The proposed overall capital budget is $5.5 million, an approximate increase of $200,000 from this year. This portion of the budget includes funding for building and grounds, security, debt service and transfer to capital projects.

Michael Goldberg, assistant superintendent of finance and management for the district, said that more than 79 percent of the district’s funding is spent on programming.

The capital projects included in the budget are installing air conditioning in more classrooms, upgrading electrical capacities at the district’s buildings, upgrading the sound systems in the schools’ gymnasiums, installing additional security cameras, and redoing exterior doors of school buildings to help disrepair.

Additional capital projects include instructional space upgrades to rooms such as the choral and band rooms at Polk Street School. The budget also accounts for the continuation of a flooring project at Polk Street School and Washington Street School.

The ballot will also have a proposition to appropriate $2 million from the district’s capital reserve to renovate and refurbish the Polk Street School field. The renovations would install a part turf and part grass field, a seating area, basketball courts, a blacktop and a new playground.

Another proposition on the ballot pertains to the district’s energy performance contract to replace boilers, install solar panels, LED lights throughout the district and a new building management system. This proposition will ask voters to support receiving 10 percent aid from the state to help fund the contract.

Goldberg said the district has not felt an impact after the end of relief funds during the Covid-19 pandemic. He said it “was not a surprise” and the district did a good job of planning for this.

“We did not put any of the money into the reserves to offset the budget,” Goldberg said.

To learn more about the candidates for board trustee this year, visit LIHerald.com/FranklinSquare.