Syosset 2020-21 School Budget Vote: Everything You Need To Know

SYOSSET, NY— Residents in the Syosset Central School District will vote by mail June 9 to approve the district's proposed 2020-21 budget and elect the school board. Voting this year will only be available by absentee ballot, which will be mailed to every eligible voter in the district with a paid-postage envelope. All ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on June 9, the district said.

2020-21 Proposed Budget

The vote comes after the annual budget public hearing was held virtually Wednesday night. A link for the meeting was expected to be posted on the district's website.

Here are the details of the 2020-21 proposed budget, according to the district's website.

• 2020-21 proposed budget: $241.6 million
• 2019-20 budget: $237 million
• Change (in dollars): + $4.7 million
• Change (percent): + 1.97 percent
• Estimated tax levy 2020-21: $204.2 million
• Tax levy 2019-20: $200.8 million
• Tax levy increase (percent): + 1.69 percent

The budget is an expenditure plan that supports instructional programs and services. The tax levy is the money raised through property taxes after all other revenue sources are deducted.

Budget planning documents show the district had to realign its goals to fit the current fiscal environment.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned that the economic effect of the coronavirus shutdown could mean much less money available for state education aid. The state will assess and adjust its budget several times in the course of this year. The governor's has estimated that state aid would be 20 percent lower than promised.

"For Syosset this amounts to a cut of $3.6 if based on total aid or $1.7 if based on Foundation Aid," according to the district's budget documents.

The Syosset district acknowledged it tried to retain programs and services, as well as continue repairs and maintenance for facilities and equipment even as it faces "uncertain revenue" projections. It laid out several options, should revenues fall, including reducing the budget, finding other revenue sources, a combination of the two, and accepting a higher budget increase and tax levy. The district opted for the combination of the first two options.

As such, the proposed budget calls for about $4.4 million in reductions, including pushing off $14 million in capital projects and eliminating $2 million in staff. Twenty-one combined teaching, support and administrative positions would be eliminated through attrition.

School Board

Two current school board members seek re-election this year: trustees Carol Cheng and Anna Levitan. Cheng is running with Susan Falcove while Levitan is running with Brian Greco, according to the Jericho Syosset News Journal.