Approve Sewanhaka budget

The Sewanhaka Central High School District’s proposed $184.14 million budget is 2.98 percent, or $5.3 million, larger than the current spending plan. It will increase salaries by 3.7 percent, to $103 million; equipment expenditures will increase by almost 15 percent, to just under $789,000; and employee benefits will decrease by 2.1 percent, to $44.3 million. The tax levy will increase by .4 percent.

Capital projects planned at Elmont Memorial High School include refinishing the main gym floor. At H. Frank Carey High, the small theater will be renovated. At Sewanhaka High, a number of windows and doors need to be replaced. The world language room will be renovated at Floral Park High, and electrical service and window panels will be upgraded at New Hyde Park High.

Upgrades to the schools’ athletic fields have already been completed, after the voters approved an $86.6 million bond in 2014. With those improvements, coupled with the capital projects on the agenda, students at Sewanhaka High can boast state-of-the-art facilities at one of the largest high schools in the county.

We urge voters to support this budget by voting “yes” on Tuesday.