Westhampton Beach School District Adopts Tentative Budget; Includes American Sign Language Program

Applause sounded Monday night as Superintendent of Westhampton Beach Schools Lynn Schwartz kicked off a vote to approve the district’s proposed budget by announcing that it includes a popular American Sign Language program that was previously cut.

“This budget calls for the continuation of the American Sign Language program,” said Schwartz.  “The board was taken with the response of students who spoke very passionately at our last meeting.”

During the board’s , a round of parents, teachers and students urged the school board to keep the program they say means a lot to students.

With the inclusion of the program, however, the board, said Kathleen O’Hara, the district’s business official, brings the $50,357, 732 budget in lower than

According to O’Hara, during budget talks, an increase was first projected at 6.13 percent. After making cuts, it went down to 3.1 percent and now stands at 2.84 percent.

The decrease, said Schwartz, is a result of an unexpected increase in , as well as concessions agreed upon by the administrative and teacher unions.

As reported by Westhampton-Hampton Bays Patch on Thursday, state officials voted to provide $270 million more to schools in the state. Of that money, Westhampton Beach received $33,000.  

The district also gained another $212,000 through union concessions, said Schwartz.

According to Schwartz, the administration’s union agreed to give back $1,000 from each administrative employee for health insurance. And the teacher’s union decided to give back one percent of their salaries, provided the district extends their current contract, which will expire in 2012, another two years.

“We met no fewer than six times with the unions to come to these agreements,” said Schwarz.  “There were great ideas and insight brought to the table.”

For homeowners, the proposed budget translates into an estimated tax rate increase of 3.82 percent.  In dollars, taxpayers will be looking at paying an additional $5.476 per $1,000 of assessed value.

A public hearing on the budget will be held on May 9 at 7 p.m. in the district’s auditorium. A vote will follow on May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school’s LGI room, behind the district’s auditorium in the high school.