Schools

School Budget Passes; Future Cuts Looming

Board members and administration already looking to the future.

Sayville residents on Tuesday with 1,937 voting in favor and 1,279 voting against the .

“Thank you for once again making a significant sacrifice to support the educational opportunities of the students. I encourage all of you to contact your representatives in Albany and the Governor to emphasize that they can not continue to shift the finance of education to the local taxpayer. We need funding or complete mandate relief now,” said Dr. Walter Schartner, Superintendent of Sayville Schools.

With the loss of New York State aid, many Long Island districts were forced to increase taxes, including Sayville. “If the state aid was [the same amount as last year] , the tax increase would be less than one percent,” said Schartner.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Next year, more cuts to state aid and a could cause more headaches for local school districts.

School Board incumbents Thomas Cooley and Deborah VanEssendelft, who were both running unopposed and re-elected to school board, were appreciative of the support from the community, but they both spoke about the tough road ahead.

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I am glad the residents supported the budget,” said VanEssendelft. “It is nice to start in a position of strength because we don’t know what the state will do in the future.”

Cooley agreed. “We are going to have a couple of tough years ahead. The ‘Cuomo-agenda’ is going to be difficult,” he said.

, President of the Sayville Teachers Association, was happy with the results but acknowledged that the state has some work to do.

“I am grateful that the community supported the school district. I think people realize that there are going to be tough times ahead,” he said. “Allowing the millionaire tax to expire and expecting tax payers to pay is the wrong policy.”

 

For information on the library budget, check Patch at noon.


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