On Tuesday, May 20, the Floral Park-Bellerose School District (FPBSD) will hold its elections and budget vote.
The ballots contain four items:
• Floral Park-Bellerose UFSD budget
• One trustee seat for Floral Park-Bellerose UFSD
• Sewanhaka Central High School District budget
• Sewanhaka Central High School District bond proposition
This year’s candidates for the FPBSD election are Jennell Horan and Elizabeth Rossi. Incumbent Horan, 51, serves as the school board’s vice president. She has lived in the school district for 15 years and has four children. Rossi, 44, is challenging Horan for the seat. She has lived in the district for 39 years and has two children.
The proposed 2014-15 FPBSD budget is $28,403,479. The budget-to-budget increase is $545,767, or 1.96 percent over last year, and the tax levy increase is $346,436, or 1.57 percent, which is below the tax cap.
The estimated impact on the average assessed home in Floral Park is less than $8 per month.
The FPBSD will implement an extended day kindergarten program. The school day for kindergarten students will increase from 2.75 hours each day, to 4.25 hours.
Next year, the district projects to have 603 students enrolled at John Lewis Childs, and 890 students enrolled at Floral Park-Bellerose School (FPBS).
No staffing positions are being excessed in the proposed 2014-15 budget. The position of nurse coordinator would be replaced with a curriculum coordinator position; both are administrative.
Over the past four years, the district has completed or committed to more than $11.5 million in capital projects. Some of the recent projects included masonry restoration and new roofs at both buildings, and new classroom flooring. In addition, the clock tower was restored and a field drainage system was installed at FPBS.
Capital projects on schedule are exterior window replacement, upgraded classroom doors, and bathroom renovations.
If the budget is voted down by residents, the district will either present a revised budget or adopt a contingency budget, cutting an additional $346,436 from the proposed budget. A revote would be held on Tuesday, June 17.
For a complete, line-by-line analysis of the tax cap calculation see the district’s budget presentation link on the district homepage.
Additional information about the proposed school budget is available on the district website at www.floralpark.k12.ny.us.
