Rockville Centre schools float $137.6M spending plan

The Rockville Centre school district is proposing a $137.6 million spending plan for the 2024 - 2025 school year, which could increase school taxes next year by an estimated $344 for the average homeowner.

Robert Bartels, assistant superintendent of finance for the school district, said that based on preliminary information provided by the Nassau County assessor’s office, the average home in Rockville Centre in 2023-2024 was in the ballpark of $733,000.

Several factors contribute to how much a homeowner will pay in taxes each year, including the tax levy rate, adjusted base proportions and STAR exemptions.

“We won’t know exactly what the actual assessments and adjusted base proportions are until September or October,” Bartels said.

The tax levy is projected to increase 2.49 percent, below the district’s state-mandated cap of 2.64 percent.

If approved by voters next month, the proposed budget would increase overall spending by .87 percent, just shy of $1.2 million. It includes $80.5 million for instruction, $32.7 million for teacher and employee benefits, $13.3 million in administrative costs, $5.5 million for transportation, $5.4 million for debt services, and $190,950 for community services. It will also include additional funding to enhance building security systems across the district.

There are no layoffs or reductions of service for existing programs in the proposed spending plan. Instead, the district will be expanding its curriculum to provide new opportunities for students to learn about artificial intelligence, finance, coding and new electives in the arts.

“Our budget proposal includes proposals for new courses in the Arts by adding art in the sixth grade, Unified Art, Digital Photography, and a new portfolio class,” Matt Gaven, superintendent of Rockville Centre public schools, said in statement. “We are adding new technology courses such as Python, AP Computer Science, and Prompt engineering so our students understand how to use generative AI. We are also adding more opportunities for students in the area of business with a new Personal Finance course, revamped exploratory classes at the Middle School with a focus on entrepreneurship, money management, and career exploration.  We are able to add these new courses and programs using existing staff.”

School board president Kelly Barry said that the additional course offerings are possible thanks to the skillful planning of the district’s strong financial state.

“Our proposed budget not only maintains our educational programs but also expands opportunities for our students district-wide,” Kelly Barry, president of the Rockville Centre school board, said. “These new options reflect the goals of the Board of Education, as well as feedback from parents, teachers, and, most importantly, our students. We are in this position because of careful planning despite challenging budget conditions, declining state aid, and rising costs for insurance. Given these realities, we remain mindful of the taxpayer as we strive to enhance our programs.”

To fund the capital projects, including maintenance enhancements and improvements, the district plans to transfer $1.8 million of its fund balance to be spent on repairing the Hewitt Elementary School parking lot, replacing a remaining section of the South Side Middle School roof, extending the fence surrounding the South Side Middle School track from the softball field to the tennis courts, ceiling and light replacement at the elementary schools, and renovations to the South Side High School guidance area.

Other items up for consideration include office and bathroom renovations district-wide, HVAC repairs, masonry repairs, asphalt, landscaping and playground replacements.

Based on the $233 billion state budget proposed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, state aid is estimated to increase 2.6 percent to $19.8 million, however, foundation aid would decrease by $164,229 for the coming school year due to the removal of the “save harmless” policy, which guarantees that a school district receives at least as much in state aid as the previous budget year.

Foundation aid is formula-based designed to provide more money to schools with higher-needs students. Removing the “save harmless” policy would reduce foundation aid for 337 school districts across the state, including Island Park, Long Beach, Lawrence, Oceanside, Oyster Bay and five others in Nassau County.

While state lawmakers continue to negotiate the terms of the state budget, Assemblyman Brian Curran previously announced plans to secure $20,000 in bullet aid, which Gaven said will be used to help upgrade the district’s website and parent communication systems.

According to Bartels, any additional state funding will be put towards the school district’s reserves.

The Rockville Centre schools held a preliminary budget hearing after press time on Tuesday, April 16, at South Side High School. The annual budget vote and school board elections will take place on Tuesday, May 21 at the high school.

If the budget fails to pass, the board can submit the same spending plan, or an adjusted one, for a vote in June. If it were to fail a second time, the district would be forced to adopt a contingency budget with no tax levy increase, reducing spending by more than $2.5 million. A contingency budget would provide no funding for new public use of school grounds, nonessential maintenance or non-emergency capital expenditures.

Voters will also elect two members of the Rockville Centre Board of Education for at-large seats held by incumbents Kelly Barry and Erica Messier. Each elected trustee serves a three-year term in office. Also on the ballot is the proposed 2024-2025 budget for the Rockville Centre Public Library and two library board members for at-large seats held by incumbents Melissa Sorvillo and Nadine Kelly.