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Overcast Lynbrook Board of Education approves budget
The Lynbrook Board of Education voted to approve their proposed $106.3 million budget for the 2024 to 2025 school year last Tuesday, which neighbors will vote on next month.
The proposed tax levy — the amount that the district can raise in revenue through property taxes — is at the maximum tax cap that is allowed, which is 2.21 percent. The proposed budget is $4.5 million larger than the 2023 to 2024 budget. The total state aid in the proposed budget is $20.7 million.
In the proposed budget, $2.7 million of the reserves will be used, which is an increase of $1.25 million. The use of the reserves was due to increased expenditures that the district had no control over, along with decreased state aid.
“I’m a little uncomfortable with the amount of reserves that we are using,” Joe Press, superintendent for finance, operations, and information systems at Lynbrook School District, said at a budget work session last month about the proposed budget. “It’s a temporary measure. We’re not reducing staff, we’re not really reducing programs, we’re maintaining, and we want to be able to do that.”
Paul Lynch, superintendent of Lynbrook School District, said that the district is fortunate to not have to layoff staff or cut programs due to the use of the reserve funds. He emphasized that this is not a sustainable strategy, but it can be used to “weather a storm or two.”
The priorities of the program part of the proposed budget includes building a continuum of special education services at West End, North Middle School, and Lynbrook High School; continuing contracted social work and mental health support, integrating RULER program into classrooms; and continuing to integrate the Science of Reading in the intermediate elementary grades.
The proposed budget includes a $82,241 overall decrease in personnel, transportation, and student support services. Within this part of the proposed budget, there will be $125,282 increase in non-public school transportation due to 5 new schools, $55,194 decrease in BOCES transportation, $45,158 decrease due to elimination of one shuttle not being used, and $117,621 decrease in in-district transportation due to use of fewer vans and reduced contingency.
Capital projects funding in the proposed budget increased by $104,000. This money, $700,000, will go towards the completion of the Marion Street field and parking lot lighting project.
The elementary schools have an overall increase of $74,953 in the proposed budget. Of that money, $47,812 will go towards instructional supplies, equipment, office supplies, and equipment codes for items including new cafeteria tables, outdoor benches and picnic tables, teacher chairs, and folding chairs.
The secondary schools have an increase of $96,293 in the proposed budget. The money will go towards anticipated contractual salary increases, expanded Lynbrook High School clubs, instructional supplies codes due to additional technology supplies, new kitchen equipment, and transportation due to additional field trips.
For more information on the budget, the annual budget hearing will be on May 8 at the Lynbrook High School Cafeteria at 7:30 p.m. The last day to register to vote is on May 15. The budget vote will be on May 21.
