Long Beach School board adopts 2020-21 budget

The Long Beach Board of Education approved a $145 million budget on Tuesday, about $3 million more than the current spending plan, and a tax levy of $106 million.

With the coronavirus pandemic affecting the economy, Michael DeVito, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, reduced an earlier spending plan by about $40,000, which included limiting travel to conferences by school board and administration members.

“Within the context of the pandemic that we’re in the midst of, knowing that things are going to be different this summer, [and] probably in the fall,” DeVito said, “we took another look to see how we could tinker with the budget, so we could reduce it even further.”

No student activities were cut, and a new junior varsity field hockey team, which was in danger of being eliminated, will remain in the spending plan. Additionally, the district will not look to outsource its food services, which was a heated topic at a budget meeting in January.

Funds that were set aside for projects but not used will account for about $1.4 million of the budget increase, DeVito said.

“Everything that’s in our overall budget is only going up less than 1 percent,” he said. “It’s about a 0.9 percent increase, which is a very small increase. This really presents to the community an extremely low and responsible budget, and I think this is something that we workedhard to achieve.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that schools may lose 20 percent of state aid, and district officials said they took that into account as they assembled the budget. The district is still waiting to hear how much of its state aid will be cut.

DeVito also said that his salary, and those of other district superintendents, would be frozen for the next year as a way to “tighten belts” and “prepare for a tough road ahead.”

A budget hearing is set for May 27, by way of a conference call. The call-in number is (425) 436-6390, and the access code is 899201. Residents will vote on the spending plan and candidates running for school board by June 9 by returning paper ballots that that will be mailed to them next week. Residents should receive them by June 2, and must return them by June 9.

Printing and mailing the ballots, which will include postage-paid return envelopes, will cost the district about $30,000 of unbudgeted funds, Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Gallagher said. The board does not yet know whether the district will be reimbursed for the cost of the election, but board President Maureen Vrona said she would send a letter to local elected representatives, reminding them of this “unfunded mandate.”

Information on the election process will be posted on the district website, and DeVito said he would also create presentations to help residents better understand the budget before the vote.

Additionally, Gallagher said that the administration was considering postponing a live graduation ceremony until the first week of August. She added that during the week of June 8, the district would schedule 10-minute appointments for graduating students to accept their diplomas on stage on the Long Beach High School field and pose for photos.

“We’re really trying to work hard with the seniors to give them some degree of a special time in June,” Gallagher said. “I will hold off on making a final decision on the live ceremony as long as we can.