Miller Place Adopts $64.95 Million Budget, Will Restore Programs

The Miller Place Board of Education adopted a 2012-13 budget of $64,954,995 Wednesday night and announced that programs will be restored from the , but details will not be available until the next meeting in April.

The budget remains within the tax levy cap (2.6 percent for the district) and is a slight increase over the original Superintendent's proposed budget of $64,681,269. Superintendent Susan Hodun delivered a message early in the meeting explaining why details of the budget have not yet been finalized.

"The anticipation of additional state aid to the district, additional savings due to retirements and some reallocation of funds in the proposed...budget allows for restorations to some of our programs district wide," she said. 

Details of just which programs have been restored will be given out at the April 25 budget hearing.

"The reason why we’re doing that is because it will allow for time for the Board and the administration to continue discussions with district employees regarding concessions, which are moving in a positive direction," Hodun said. "Even with the restorations of programs to the current budget, there still will be some staffing reductions and excessing."

The Board also announced that one seat, Michael Unger's, will be up for election in May. Unger said that he will be running again. Last year, three seats were up for election and were won by Ann O'Brien (incumbent), Brian Neyland and Doug Ports.

Chris Frawley, a parent of three in the district, seemed to strike a chord with those in attendance and summarize the feelings of many during this budget process.

"I've got a third-grader, a ninth-grader and an eleventh-grader, and I really would appreciate not going through this agony every year," he said, which resulted in a loud round of applause. "I think the board needs to be thinking two, three years down the road."