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Schools

Southampton School Board Adopts $58.5 Million Budget

The budget adopted Tuesday includes a 2.12 percent spending increase and 4.31 percent rise in the tax levy.

The adopted a $58.5 million budget Tuesday, representing a 2.12 percent spending increase and 4.31 percent rise in the tax levy.

If district voters approve the plan when they go to the polls May 17, the tax rate will rise 1.78 percent, amounting to a $20 tax increase on a home valued at $500,000 and $40 for a home valued at $1 million.

About half of the budget increase can be attributed to a step-up in the size of the district’s annual payment on its debt for a $53.4 million bond that voters approved in 2007 for improvements and additions to district buildings and facilities. The size of the payment is increasing by $600,000, to $4.0 million. This will be the last year the size of the debt service payment will grow, Superintendent J. Richard Boyes, Ed.D., said at Tuesday’s school board meeting.

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The remainder of the budget increase mostly falls under the category of employee benefits and other obligations, such as a technology lease purchase program and interest payments.

The district will return $580,000 to taxpayers from its fund balance and an additional $400,000 from its employee benefit reserve to reduce the tax levy, which will be $47.8 million under the 2011-12 budget, and the balance of income would come mostly from tuition for Tuckahoe and Native American students and from state aid.

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The total assessed value of properties in the school district rose $507.0 million or 2.4 percent, since last year, according to Maria H. Smith, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. The new total is $21.1 billion. The increase — while — insulates district taxpayers from a higher tax rate increase.

The new tax rate will be $2.26 for every $1,000 of assessed property value.

The district is also asking voters to sign off on three capital spending proposals. If approved, the spending would come out of reserve funds, and not affect the tax rate.

The first proposition is to spend $3.1 million from “The 2007 Ten Year Capital Reserve Fund” on building repairs and improvements. The projects include window replacement and renovations of classrooms, a corridor and the nurse’s office at the , upgrades to the home and careers room, life skills room and planetarium at the , and work on the art room, home and careers room and library at the

The planetarium renovation plan includes a new sound system, dome, ceiling, lights, flooring and seating and calls for replacing a 1972 mechanical projector with a digital projector.

The proposal also includes upgrading the sound system in the intermediate school cafeteria/auditorium — or “cafetorium.”

The second proposition is to spend $1.1 million from the “Southampton Property Acquisition and Facility Construction Capital Reserve Fund” for alterations and repairs at the district’s bus garage, including upgrading the sanitary system and water service and converting a bathroom to be handicapped accessible. Improvements and repairs would also be made to drainage, asphalt, curbs, siding and landscaping.

The third capital spending proposition is for $200,000 out of the “Southampton Bus Fleet Replacement Capital Reserve Fund” for three new buses.

The budget includes an additional two news buses, as a total cost of $125,000.

Southampton Village resident Susan Stevenson took advantage of the pubic comment portion of Tuesday’s school board meeting to weigh in on the capital projects propositions.

Stevenson took issue with the school board’s statement that the capital projects, if approved by voters, will not cause a tax increase because the money will come from reserves.

“You carry what seems to be fairly large reserves,” she said, later adding, “I don’t feel that I should be paying property taxes today, this year, for school buses for three years from now when I’m not living here.”

Stevenson also criticized the use of banners and other materials in polling places. “Why vote if you’re going to tell everybody how to vote? It’s not an acceptable polling place,” she said, pointing out that poll workers are not even allowed to being in newspapers, because they are considered promotional material.

Later in the meeting, school board member David Corwith said the district is in compliance with election law, because it may post statements of fact about the budget.

Additional propositions on the ballot include $383,000 for , up $6,600 from last year’s request; $326,509 for , the same as last year’s request; and $78,000 for the , up $68,000 from last year.

A public budget hearing will be held May 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the new Southampton Intermediate School music room. The vote is planned for May 17 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., also in the music room.

For details of the Tuckahoe School District budget, .

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