W.H. school administrators start budget conversation early

School-budget season is not yet upon us, but West Hempstead school district administrators are bringing it in early this year. They will hold the first “community budget conversation” on Nov. 29 in the interest of preparing themselves and the entire school community for another tough budget year.

“This is a new endeavor for us,” Superintendent John Hogan told the Herald in an interview. “When we think about the budgetary challenges that are coming our way, when we think about what our mission is in terms of educating 2,200 boys and girls every day, it just seemed to make sense to us that the budget process with the community needed to start sooner.”

Typically, administrators begin presenting a drafted budget through workshops to the Board of Education and the public in February or March, and then community residents get the chance to weigh in. But Hogan and Deputy Superintendent Richard Cunningham found that it would be more efficient and advantageous to collect ideas, suggestions and recommendations before they’ve even drafted a budget.

West Hempstead’s administrators attempted a similar venture last year with the creation of the Budget Advisory Committee, which had 10 members and provided a number of good recommendations that are still in the process of implementation. But the committee failed to accomplish some goals in that it didn’t involve “a whole community in a conversation about their hopes and dreams for their largest employer and the largest portion of their tax bill,” according to Cunningham.

To remedy that failure, the administrators decided to try the community conversation idea, which they believe will help them develop a set of parameters for budgeting and help the community indicate to them what its priorities are. They also believe that getting feedback in this way will aid them in reaching a larger cross-section of the community than the advisory committee did. Most importantly, it’s a way to “make sure that when we go out with the budget, it mirrors the expectations of the community,” Cunningham said.

Hogan and Cunningham will open the conversation at the Nov. 29 meeting by outlining the challenges the district faces this budget season and explaining what administrators must do to reach their educational goals while simultaneously balancing the economic realities they face. “The question is how do we reach a point where revenues and expenses match, and still come in under the [new state mandated] 2 percent tax cap?” Hogan said.

In addition to the tax cap, which could be even lower than 2 percent, depending on the Consumer Price Index, the administrators are concerned about rising costs, falling revenues and flat state aid. Putting those concerns — and information about the realities of the economy — before the public, and having the “conceptual conversation” before drafting a budget can only help the district and the entire school community, Cunningham said.

It will also put residents at some ease to know their input is valued, Hogan added. “When we ultimately have a draft budget, people will … see that we took their ideas seriously and, where possible, we integrated those ideas into the budget process,” he said.

Hogan and Cunningham invited — and encouraged — West Hempstead residents to join them in the cafeteria of the West Hempstead Middle School, located at 350 Nassau Blvd., on Nov. 29 at 7:30 p.m.