VIDEO: Mixed Reactions to West Hempstead School Budget

The West Hempstead Board of Education adopted the proposed 2011-2012 budget for the school district Tuesday night, but not everyone supported the decision.

There was dissension among the residents in attendance but also within the ranks of the school board too. While board trustee Cynthia DiMiceli delivered the sole vote against the budget, fellow first-time member Rudolf Schindler said he had considered taking this route too.

Their criticisms were aimed at the current process that the district uses to craft its budget, wanting more information and more planning for the future. This echoed some of the thoughts expressed by residents at previous meetings. Deputy Superintendent Richard Cunningham has said in the past that he does provide projections to the board although generally-speaking he has found these forecasts to unreliable.

VIDEO: Check out the video to hear what the board members, school administrators and residents had to say.

The Budget Numbers

The budget, which residents will vote on come May 17, totals $54,397,183, an increase of $1,505,706 from the 2010-2011 budget. This amounts to a budget-to-budget increase of 2.85 percent. (Last year this figure was a mere 0.54 percent.).

The portion of the budget that taxpayers will be responsible for is approximately $39 million, a tax levy increase of 2.99 percent from last year. The actual cost to each taxpayer will vary greatly depending on the value of their homes.

Program and Staff Cuts

While last year the district cut many programs and personnel including 28 clubs, 34 intramural sports teams, 23 full-time equivalent positions and several monitors, assistants and coaches, very little was placed on the chopping block in the 2011-2012 budget.

This year's budget eliminates 13.6 full-time equivalent positions but the district was able to save 3.3 by dipping into federal job fund monies. However, this fix will only last one year.

Summer School and State Aid

Responding to feedback from parents, the district also reinstated its summer school program, which had been cut from previous versions of the budget as it costs $80,000 and is not mandated. Parents wishing to send their children to summer school would have had to pay for them to attend programs outside the district.

School administrators were able to put the program back into the budget by using a portion of the $7,727,051 the district received from New York State in aid to fund it. (The move also added $50,000 in revenue, the amount the district collects from students outside of West Hempstead who pay to attend the program.)

These state aid funds were also used to save a science teaching position and about half went toward lowering taxes.

Major Cost Drivers

Like most districts across Long Island, the bulk of the district's costs and budget increases can be attributed to the salaries and benefits of its personnel, much of which is mandated.

The district's share of contributions to pensions for teachers rose 12.79 percent (or $251,252) to $2,215,154 and 11.23 percent (or $64,581) for non-teachers to $639,581.

The district also added $190,000 to its budget line for unemployment insurance and saw health insurance for all its staff jump up 13.14 percent to $6,698,851 based on estimates for 2012.

In terms of salaries,  Superintendent John Hogan once again took a pay freeze, staying at $210,000, as did Deputy Superintendent Richard Cunningham who earns $151,000.

Although the district has yet to reach an agreement with its teachers union, under the Triborough Amendment eligible employees are still entitled to receive step raises.

The 2011-2012 budget shows an increase of $90,105  for Kindergarten instruction and an extra $70,496 for Grades 1 through 5. Total cost of teaching salaries at the Middle School and High School dropped by $166,391 and $610,501 respectively.

Maintenance Work

To tighten their belts, the district has decided to defer some maintenance projects to the future, including putting off replacing its the aging boilers that remain in its schools. They are planning some repairs though, including much-needed masonry work at its Middle School-High School, which will be paid for by tapping  into approximately $700,000 in EXCEL funds. That is, provided taxpayers do not vote down the budget as this project is pending voter approval. It would allow the district to repair the buildings' weather-damaged mortar, brick, window and door lintels, while having the expenses reimbursed by the New York State Dormitory Authority.

Other renovations in the budget include the replacement of the main office floor and gym safety wall pads in George Washington School, and a roll-up security/garage door at the high school.

Questions? Opinions?

Any West Hempstead residents with questions can contact the district's central office or send an email to votemay17@whufsd.com.

Those wishing to submit an opinion piece to Patch regarding the budget should email Tara.Conry@Patch.com.