Garden City Schools budget negotiations begin

of taxes (PILOTs) projections.

Some of the largest budget drivers for Garden City include salaries and benefits, state and federal mandates, enrollment and class sizes, school security, student safety and cybersecurity, cleaning and maintenance, the tax levy and state aid. Student enrollment as of today is above 4,000 between in-district, out of district and UPK. We have 900 employees in Garden City, 678 of whom are full-time. There are nine buildings, in addition to school grounds and athletic fields, as well as district fleet and contract transportation. The District’s revenue streams includes state aid, local revenue, PILOT, appropriation from reserves, fund balance, inter-fund transfers and property taxes.

A complete breakdown of the District’s financial projections as they stand now can be found within the Superintendent’s presentation, available to the public on the Garden City Public School’s website. Budget planning is a year-round task, so keep in mind the plans presented are subject and likely changed.

The Board’s Feedback

Board President Joseph Sileo began with a statement for the community to consider. “COVID years were resource light because there was less demand. With that in mind, and entering into a high inflation environment, challenging decisions will need to be made.”

He then asked about the Universal Pre Kindergarten (UPK) program. “Last year we received a certain amount for UPK. Those dollars had strings attached and were very difficult to use from what I understand, not for a lack of effort. I know people have questions about that. A lot of the aid has restrictive parameters that make it challenging for us to use.”

“You’re right,” answered DiCapua. “For example, we can’t take $1.5 million of those funds and say we’re building two classrooms with this. We’re not allowed to do that. There are limitations and a limit per student, about $5,400. The money just isn’t there. Something like this would have to come from the local budget.” She also clarified that UPK is not considered part of the general fund budget, which is the portion the public votes on in May.

“From a revenue perspective, how do we compare to other districts?” Sileo continued. State aid is based on a number of factors related to student population and area demographics. The formula that runs the same for all districts.

Community Comments

Ryan

Mulrooney

of Hampton Road,

“This is more of a general comment on the landscape of where we are island and state-wide. Anytime I see an increase in PILOT money or state aid, it means new mandates to me. And usually, the state is good at funding the beginning of a program, but legacy costs start to set in a few years later. Not to mention the two major healthcare systems that are taking over Franklin Avenue, shifting more tax burden on homeowners. The challenge with UPK I think we face is that our student population is increasing. How do we see UPK growing over the next five years? Where do we put these kids on our campuses as the student population rises if the state doesn’t cover it?”

Sileo jumped in, “We’re very conscious that state aid can come and go. I for one am hesitant to put in a program that we have to rip out. As it relates to facilities, the ability to do that is challenging even if we were to outsource or try. We’ve had discussions with other providers to learn about how to manage that.”

Trustee Gnecco added, “When you do open another facility then you have other needs, nurse, principal, custodial add ons. The crux is that the state has a tendency of saying ‘here’s the money, but what happens when it dries up in a year or two?”

Dr Sinha added, “And when you look at per pupil allocation for school age students vs. $5,400 the state tells you you can spend, it just doesn’t make sense. When we’re prepared to share more on the future of the UPK program, we will.”

Another parent asked, “Is state aid tied to tutoring? I think a lot of parents would really enjoy that.” Sileo said the language in state aid leaves questions around the magnitude of services, and would appear to be limited to a small number of students. The District is asking for clarity.

“Regarding teachers’ contracts. Inflation is quite high, how is that going to be adjusted in the budget? You have 900 people working here. I don’t really see that in there.” The Board President could not comment on teachers’ contracts as it’s not appropriate in this forum, but said “we’re having good conversations. We love our teachers and want to get something done with the union. I’m hoping we’ll get somewhere that doesn’t break the budget and works for everybody. It’s something we’ve been able to do before.”

The Board will be reviewing the proposed budget in detail in the weeks to come, starting next week on Monday, February 13 beginning at 8:15 pm at the GCHS and will cover all non-instructional, administrative and capital components.