Community Corner
Family Forum: School District Budget Cuts
How do you feel about the proposed district wide cuts?
Welcome to the Family Forum, the feature formerly known as "Mom's Talk."
In the past few months we have heard some alarming news in regards to education aid being cut. State-wide we could face $1.5 billion in education aid cut. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's property tax cap proposal could also greatly impact daily day-to-day operations in our schools. Coupled with Riverhead's rising employee benefits - which are set to take an approximate 12% increase for the 2011-2012 school year - it could greatly effect the services being offered at our schools.
Under the current proposal from Superintendent Nancy Carney, taxpayers will face a 5.97% tax hike - 100 percent of the increase, she said, being a result of (unfunded) state mandates and a loss in state aid.
Find out what's happening in Riverheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Carney and the Board of Education have been offering the public the opportunity to comment on next year's proposed budget in a series of presentations at various schools throughout the district, with each one also having a brief presentation by the respective school's principal.
Some of the changes at various district schools would include loss of support staff such as security guards, library aides, clerical staff, custodian staff, maintenance, and teacher aides. Class sizes would also likely increase, some to the maximum allowed. District-wide, the budget cut calls for 40 layoffs, including 15 teacher positions.
Find out what's happening in Riverheadwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
that the cut would unlikely affect music and arts programs. However the middle school's athletic program would no longer be able to have separate seventh and eighth grade teams, leaving the schools "no cut" policy in jeopardy.
about the loss of a security guard.
A schedule of the remaining budget hearings is attached as a PDF file. Taxpayers will vote on the budget May 17.
If you are a parent in the school district, how do you feel this will impact your child's education? As a student, how do you feel? As a taxpayer in the community how do you feel about the proposed increase? Do you agree with Gov. Cuomo's cut? What about his reasoning for making the cut?
Please comment and share below in the comments section and don't forget to come back next Wednesday at 1 p.m. for another Family Forum topic and chat.
