Huntington schools budget: 3.5% tax hike

The Huntington school board has unveiled a draft budget of $108,732,301 for the 2011-12 school year, a proposal that is slightly less than the current budget but carries a 3.5 percent property-tax increase.

"When we took on the task of trying to find cuts, it was a monumental task," Superintendent John Finello said Monday night. "It means things have to go," he said, along with potential employee layoffs.

District officials said the budget, if passed, could result in a reduction of 47.4 instructional positions, including 27.1 full-time elementary school teachers and 58.5 noninstructional positions, and kindergarten could be cut to half day. Other possible cuts include at least one athletic team, an assistant coach, two librarians, and four school psychologists. The high school marching band will only be partially funded. The proposed budget includes a salary reduction for the incoming superintendent to $200,000, down from $266,629. Finello has said he's leaving the district this year.

The current $108,786,539 spending plan is $54,238 more than the proposed budget. The smaller budget and tax increase are due to an undetermined cut in state aid and a federal fund loss of $1.4 million. District officials said the cost to the district for the teachers retirement system rate is increasing by 40 percent, and the employee retirement system rate is going up by 33 percent. Both rates are set by the state.

In two public presentations this month, Finello said significant built-in budget hikes in the 2011-12 school year include: employee health insurance, $1.8 million; salary step/longevity adjustments for employees, $1.2 million; teacher retirement system, $810,000; employee retirement system, $650,000; and BOCES, $207,000.