Port Jefferson school district may lose teachers
Earl L. Vandermeulen High School is at 550 Scraggy Hill Rd., Port Jefferson. The school is connected to Port Jefferson Middle School. (March 22, 2011) Credit: Jasmin Frankel
The Port Jefferson School District plans to cut five teaching positions and expand class sizes to stay within the state-mandated 2 percent tax cap, Superintendent Kenneth Bossert told residents Monday night.
The district has proposed a $38 million budget for 2012-13, which includes a 2 percent increase to the tax levy, which would rise to $32.6 million, Bossert said.
Bossert said the district could lose five teachers under the budget plan, and class sizes would also likely grow. He did not specify whether the job cuts would come in the form of layoffs or attrition, but indicated that it would be a painful loss for the district.
“That’s the hardest part of all of this,” Bossert said.
Bossert made the presentation to the Port Jefferson Village board of trustees at Village Hall. The district’s budget proposal — as well as the budget proposals of all Long Island school districts — is subject to voter approval on May 15.
The school district serves about 1,200 students and includes Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson.
Above: Earl L. Vandermeulen High School in Port Jefferson (March 22, 2011)
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