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Overcast Valley Stream Central High School District's 2017 - 2018 budget maintains all programs
The Central High School District adopted a $113.4 million budget on April 4 for next year — a 1.37 percent increase in the tax levy over the current year, which translates to an average increase per household of $53 in District 13, $24 in District 24 and $42 in District 30.
The budget would maintain the programs already available at the high schools. “Nothing was cut, we were able to maintain everything that we have,” said Superintendent Bill Heidenreich, who added that the budget will remain below the state’s tax levy cap.
Heidenreich attributed the increase to new hires, including a new English as a New Language teacher, a new speech pathologist, athletic trainers at the high schools and increased security at the open-campus high schools. A new ENL teacher was necessary, Heidenreich said, because the district is seeing an increase in students who require the service.
“It maintains everything that we have with some modest additions,” he said.
Although the bulk of the revenue will come from property taxes or payments in lieu of taxes, known as PILOTs, almost 20 percent of the district’s revenue will come from state aid. As part of the state budget that was passed earlier this month, the district was allocated $21.5 million in state aid for next year, an increase of $1.6 million from the current year. According to Heidenreich, the district was expecting this increase in state aid when district officials proposed the budget. “We were anticipating picking up an additional $1 million and that materialized,” he said.
The budget vote for the Central High School District — as well as the budget vote for the elementary school districts — will be held on May 16.
