Final Wantagh budget has a tax cut

The Wantagh School District will upgrade programs at all levels next year, from improved science and technology labs at all three elementary schools to expanded high school course offerings after the Board of Education adopted its final budget on April 14.

The $76.2 million spending plan has a tax levy decrease of .18 percent, to $55.9 million, keeping it below the tax cap while featuring several new initiatives.

“This year we benefitted from some additional funds, some retirement funds and the gap elimination adjustment,” said Jude Netto, a member of the Budget Advisory Committee. “We worked at budget sessions to make a representation to the Board of Education and administration, and as a result of that we were able to come up with a negative tax levy for the first time in ages, on top of last year’s tax freeze.”

Due to the full restoration of the gap elimination adjustment, the Wantagh School District received an extra $1 million of state aid it had lost in prior years. Based on recent guidance from the state, this indicates that the restoration is permanent and would require new legislation to bring back the GEA.

“I would like to personally thank the board and administration for working with the community and those representatives to bring that about,” Netto said of the tax-cut budget, expected to save the average homeowner about $17 per year. “It is a great achievement and the nice part about it is that it maintains programs and it even has added programs.” 

The spending plan will include new elementary STEAM lab resources such as 3-D printers and tablets, additional teacher support and an enriched curriculum. The STEAM labs — for science, technology, engineering, art and math — first came to the Wantagh elementary schools last year, with the idea that students would be able to create projects in a hands-on environment.

“We feel that our teachers will tremendously benefit from a STEAM teacher, who would be shared among the three elementary schools,” Superintendent Maureen Goldberg said. “They would help teachers to understand how to use the lab for their units of study and align with the Common Core.” 

The adopted budget would also provide sixth-grade students with a Chromebook to use at school and at home. They will use the tablets through the eighth grade and the staff will use the new equipment to enhance their lessons.

Wantagh residents can vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 17 from 7 to 9 p.m. Polling stations will be set up at Wantagh, Mandalay and Forest Lake elementary schools.