Schools

Concerned Residents, Students Pack Miller Place Budget Hearing

Some Board Trustees vow to bring back programs, stay under tax levy cap.

For the first time this budget season, the auditorium was filled to capacity as parents and students came out in larger numbers than ever to voice their concerns over the proposed 2012-13 budget one last time before next week's budget adoption.

Parents, teachers and students spoke with the Board to express their feelings on the various budget issues including program cuts, teacher layoffs, contract renegotiations, taxes and more.

Superintendent Susan Hodun and Deputy Superintendent Marianne Higuera opened the hearing with a presentation on the non-instructional part of the budget, which includes sports, clubs, transportation, debt service and employee benefits. Following the presentation, Board trustees Brian Neyland and Michael Unger expressed their desires to stay under the tax cap while restoring programs on the chopping block.

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"I will not support a budget that pierces the cap," Neyland said. "Ultimately we have to work with what we have and figure out a way collectively to find the money."

Included in the presentation were tax levy projections, which showed the current levy increase along with projections of further increases and the impact they would have on budget reductions.

Find out what's happening in Miller Place-Rocky Pointwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The current levy increase of 2.61 percent, the cap for the district, is an increase of $240.36 to taxpayers and requires $2,173,143 in budget cuts. An increase to 3.86 percent would be $355.21 to taxpayers but decrease reductions to $1,673,143. That increase, however, would exceed the tax cap and require the budget to pass by a supermajority of 60 percent. A defeated budget would result in no tax levy increase and an additional $1,045,000 in reductions to the district.

Board Vice President Ann O'Brien discussed the importance of mandate relief as non-funded government mandates have increased this year. Neyland responded by saying that while mandate relief is great, at this point the district can't "rely on hope."

Many in attendance took time to speak to the board, including a number of students. After Hannah Chase, on behalf of the Service Club, one of the clubs on the chopping block at a cost of $1,071 to the district, gave an empassioned speech about the importance of the club, Board trustee Doug Ports assured her and everyone else that they are listening.

"I want to express that what you wrote and what you said matters," Ports said. "It is absolutely relevant to the decisions we are making here."

Superintendent Hodun also reminded community members that the district is currently at the negotiation table with most of the bargaining units and contracted employees.

"We are waiting, as eagerly as everyone else, for specific information that's going to help us make decisions about funding next year's programs," she said. "I'm very thankful to each of the individuals and the associations who are seriously considering such concessions of any kind and I'm optimistic that these efforts will go a long way for our students."

The Board of Education adopts the 2012-13 at the final budget hearing, March 28 at 7:30 p.m. in the high school.


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