BEACON RECORD THE VILLAGE
MOUNT SINAI • MILLER PLACE • SOUND BEACH • ROCKY POINT • SHOREHAM • WADING RIVER • LEISURE COUNTRY March 5, 2015
Volume 30, No. 32
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MP crafts budget around 1.7 % aid increase BY BARBARA DONLON
Paint Nite at the Whaling Museum
Despite neighboring school districts’ budgetary concerns, as education aid estimates for the 2015-16 school year have yet to be released, Miller Place school district administrators maintained a more positive outlook at their fi rst budget presentation on Feb. 25. At the meeting, Superintendent Marianne Higuera presented her proposed $70 million budget for next year, which increases by 1.44 percent and remains within the
district’s tax levy increase cap of 2.85 percent. “The proposed 2015-16 budget preserves all current … academic instructional and noninstructional programs,” Higuera said. “It continues to maximize faculty and staff resources.” Miller Place is crafting its budget around a 1.7 percent increase in state aid, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) has stated aid will increase by that percent — or $377 million statewide — if the New York State Legislature doesn’t adopt his education reform package. If the Legislature does adopt
The budget ‘continues to maximize faculty and staff resources.’ — MARIANNE HIGUERA
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PAGE B1 Photo by Barbara Donlon
Superintendent Marianne Higuera makes her first 2015-16 school year budget presenation on Feb. 25.
The bald and the beautiful
Shave your head for kids with cancer
PAGE A5
High hopes for MS hoops team File photo by Bill Landon
After finishing 3-9 in League VI in the 2013-14 season, the Mount Sinai girls’ basketball team is beginning to turn heads. This season, they bounced back from an early 2-4 league record to finish 7-5 and earned a postseason appearance for the first time in five years. See the story on page A8.
it, Cuomo said he would increase aid by $1.1 billion. “State aid in this budget is the 1.7 percent that the governor has told us the district would receive, so we’re not counting on any monies that the district would receive if all of Gov. Cuomo’s reform agenda items are passed,” she said. The budget presentation touched on adding new instructional initiatives, student support services and extracurricular activities to the district. In addition, the district wants to lower class size for students with disabilities entering their junior year. New courses, such as a sports medicine and performance class and an English elective will be added as well. Allocations for an English language learners program, a Scholastic reading program at the elementary and high schools, two assistant varsity winter track coach positions and for the cheerleading team are included. District officials wouldn’t provide details on the English language learners and Scholastic programs. They said the programs would be discussed at a
later meeting. According to Higuera, the district would like to increase funds to the capital fund by an extra $50,000, bringing the total amount contributed to $150,000, and will pay a onetime fee of $32,673 for a food services soft ware program, as the district still uses pen and paper to track lunch purchases. Board of Education President Mike Unger said he was very pleased that the district is staying within the tax cap and is still maintaining all teaching positions and educational programs. “This is all due to the fiscal excellence of our district and sheds light on the collaborative relationship we share with our valued employees and partners in education,” Unger said. “This is a great budget for the students, parents, staff and taxpayers.” The district will hold two more workshops before moving to adopt the budget on March 25. The next meeting is scheduled on March 4, when instructional items will be discussed. The last meeting will take place on March 18 when noninstructional programs will be discussed.