Southampton School District Budget Presentations Begin in February

Southampton School District is entering budget season, and the public is invited to attend a series of presentations and participate in the discussion.

Three meetings are planned to go over the 2013-14 budget prior to its approval, with one make-up date scheduled in case inclement weather forces a meeting to be canceled.

The Feb. 6, Feb. 27 and March 20 budget presentations will each be on Wednesdays, from 7 to 9 p.m. The makeup date is April 9, a Tuesday. All meetings will take place in the Southampton Intermediate School music room.

The meetings will be facilitated by Superintendent J. Richard Boyes, Ed.D., and Assistant Superintendent for Business Maria Smith, with additional district administrators and the School Board.

"This school year we face many important tasks," Smith wrote in a letter to taxpayers. "The superintendent search is in full swing, with the announcement by Dr. Boyes that he will be retiring June 30." She also noted that the district is engaged in a merger feasibility study with Tuckahoe School District.

Smith pointed out that a number of voter-approved facilities improvements have been completed recently, or are nearing completion, including the Shinnecock Celestial Learning Center and a marine science wet lab.

Aside from facilities improvements, Smith wrote, "we are always mindful that our primary focus is to provide our children with the best possible education with the resources provided by our taxpayers."