School News

East Rockaway adopts $38M budget proposal

School district to present the spending plan to a public vote on May 17

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The East Rockaway School District adopted a $38 million budget proposal for the 2016-17 school year on April 19, which preserves all programs and staff and adds increased math support services, a guidance teaching assistant and a wrestling program.

“Our work is never done,” said Assistant Superintendent for Business James Robinson. “This budget was really developed in concert with a strategic plan that the superintendent had initiated last year, and worked very diligently with the community to establish it.” Robinson said the budget proposal meets all of the district’s “operational and educational objectives,” in an environment that he described as having “very limited resources.”

The spending plan calls for a .27 percent increase in the tax levy, which translates to about $78,000 in additional revenue from taxpayers — or an increase of $6 on the average annual property tax bill per household. Robinson said the calculation for the increase per household could change, based on Nassau County’s assessments.

“Any increase beyond .27 percent — which makes up what the school district needs — is really the responsibility of Nassau County,” he said. “If the assessment value changes, the school district has no control over that.”

A major factor for next year’s budget increase was employee contracts and salaries. “We’re a people business,” Robinson explained. “Seventy-odd percent of our budget is staff.”

An academic intervention services (AIS) Math teacher is included in the proposed budget, based on needs the district identified. Robinson said an AIS English teacher was implemented last year, which yielded positive results, and so it was decided to expand the support system to math subjects. Additionally, a guidance teaching assistant is being added to help students with schedule planning and college or career planning.

The 2016-17 budget also includes the addition of an athletic trainer, enhancing robotics opportunities, a 3D printer as well as four new clubs: Mock trial, chess club, model United Nations and a marketing club.

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