School Officials Eye Budget Increase in Westhampton Beach

The Westhampton Beach School Board unveiled its preliminary budget on Monday night. Yet to be finalized, it calls for a 3.1 percent budget increase.  For taxpayers, that would equate to a 3.89 percent tax levy.

Lynn Schwartz, superintendent of schools, presented the budget to the public and board saying, “We all understand that it has been difficult to build the budget. It has been time consuming and a challenge.”

With that, Schwartz, said the budget process commenced in early November with numbers that equaled a 6.13 percent budget to budget increase. 

However, over the past eight weeks, Schwartz says the board worked to half the budget increase by cutting two full-time teaching positions, three part-time teaching posts, the High School American Sign Language program, three teacher aids, one monitor position, a part-time clerical staff person, one security guard, and a part-time nurse.

Also slashed from the budget were some arts programs and co-curricular activities.

The decisions were made, said Schwartz to make up a budget shortfall that was a result of increased costs in health insurance, retirement costs and salaries.

Speaking specifics, Schwartz said retirement is up $680,000; employee retirement $204,000; and health insurance by $266,000.

Contractual salaries, said Schwartz increased by 3.15 percent.

The budget also accounts for a loss in state aid of about $400,000, which is an 11 percent  reduction over last year.

At present, the budget sits at $50,491,737 as compared to last year’s budget, which was $48,967,737.

“These are sobering days,” said Aram Terchunian, school board president. “Everyone is doing great work. There were a lot of difficult decision that had to be made.”

And there will be more, said Terchunian, as the board works to finalize the budget for an April 4 board vote to adopt a tentative budget, which will be put before the public for a hearing on May 9.

Terchunian said before the budget is finalized, it is hoped that some concessions will be made through collective bargaining talks.

Senior Prom

Also at the school board meeting, Schwartz announced that the Westhampton Beach senior class will be hosting a senior prom for senior citizens on April 5.

The event is free of charge.  For more information, call (631) 288-3800.