Springs School’s Proposed 2023-24 School Year Budget Would Pierce the State Cap

The Springs School District is proposing a $35,406,133 budget for the 2023-24 school year, which would require piercing the state cap on tax levy increases.

The Board of Education approved the adoption of the budget that is a 7.65 percent spending increase, or $2,517,247 more than this current school year’s budget, on Tuesday night, April 18. The proposed budget carries a $30,595,409 tax levy, an increase of 5.15 percent, or $1,499,283, which is greater than the tax cap compliant increase of 2.14 percent. It is also lower than any of the previous budgets presented to the board this year.

“This board is now facing consequences of purposely reducing the percentages, as we asked, in 2020 and 2021, to such an extent that this year we are required to pierce the cap,” School Board President Barbara Dayton said at a board meeting on Tuesday, April 18. “If we had not lowered the budgets in those years, we would not be in this position today. And, yes, we are facing the consequences, and we have definitely learned from that.”

Piercing the cap requires a majority vote, meaning at least 60 percent of voters need to approve the spending plan for the budget to pass. If the budget does not pass, state law says the board of education could either revise the budget and put it up for a revote, or adopt what’s called a contingent budget, which would be a budget with zero tax levy increase. Interim School Business Official Mike Henery said that budget would be a reduction of $1,844,764.

“That would impact almost every program we have in this district,” Henery said. “Unfortunately, things like tuition to the high school, because it’s a contract, we’re not going to be able to touch … so the cuts have to come from everything we spend for Springs School and the students themselves.”

Budget breakdowns show increased costs across the board, with the administrative portion jumping by 12.5 percent, or $318,310; capital spending increasing 12.15 percent, or $357,998; and kindergarten through 12th grade programming and tuition costs rising 9.91 percent, or $996,336.

Hindering the balancing of the budget this year is health insurance fees going up 15 percent. Inflation, the cost of high school tuition, the price for fueling and heating, the cost of cybersecurity, a new math curriculum and Eastern Suffolk BOCES costs are expected to increase 3 to 5 percent.

“I’ve been on this board a long time and this board has done an amazing job of staying under the cap every year that I have been a board member,” said board Vice President Tim Frazier, who has served the district for 12 years. “This board looked at this budget in lots of different ways to try to continue that approach for the taxpayers of this community. Unfortunately, what Barbara said is really true — that because we kept it under the cap for so many years, including in times when it was really tough, during COVID and since COVID, this is the year where we felt like we had no other option than to pierce the cap in order to provide the quality education for our students that’s needed.”

A 5.15 percent anticipated tax levy increase would cost a home with a fair market value of $888,889 with an assessed value of $4,000 an estimated $241.92 extra in school taxes. A house with a fair market value of $1,182,134 with a $5,320 assessed value would see a $321.71 jump, and a home with a fair market value of $1,777,778 with an $8,000 assessed value is estimated to see a $483.84 increase.

There will also be a second proposition on the ballot this May, for the approval of the purchase of a small passenger bus, including two-way radio equipment, security cameras and recording devices for the safety and security of passengers. The amount would not exceed the estimated cost of $90,000.

“I do believe, with that the future projections that we have done, that it’s probably not going to happen again for quite some time — that it just so happens that we’re in this position this year, where all these things came to a point that we have no other choice,” Frazier said of piercing the cap. “And I’m hoping that the community understands that and trusts that, because of the history of this board and the commitment that we’ve had to maintaining high standards while being fiscally responsible to the community.”

The budget hearing is to be held at 7 p.m. on May 9 in the library, and the annual budget vote and trustee election will be on May 16 from 1 to 9 p.m. in the same location. If necessary, a revote would be scheduled for June 20.