Mineola’s Board of Education provided residents with an overview of their proposed budget Thursday night.
The district proposed a $112,197,493 budget, up 2.41% from last year’s $109,552,352 budget. Will Herman, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, said the budget would primarily be funded by a 2.08% tax levy increase, a number equal to the district’s tax cap.
He said the district was raising the tax levy to its maximum amount due to inflationary pressure, emphasizing the board believed it was absolutely necessary to do so. He said the budget allows for all current programs the school offers to continue. Herman added that the district currently expects to receive $13,969,400 in state aid, a 1.17% decrease from last year, which he said was partially due to the district’s tax base becoming wealthier.
Herman said the district’s primary budget drivers include teacher and staff salaries and benefits, which total $87,922,175, or over 78% of the district’s budget.
Other expenses, including insurance, security, charter and private school tuition, and facility upgrades, are collectively increasing by $716,100, or 23.17% from last year, Herman added.
One of the district’s other significant budget expenses was the proposed purchase of nine new buses in order to maintain its fleet. Herman and other board members said the district having its own fleet was important because it allowed for students to get to know their bus driver and for more reliable busing than if the district contracted drivers from outside companies.
The board also approved a proposition on the May 20 budget ballot. It asks residents to vote on approving the transfer of up to $4 million from the district’s 2022 capital reserve fund, which currently holds about $6.4 million, for improvements to the middle school’s auditorium roof system, baseball field, and entry area to the school’s art rooms, Herman explained.
The board also nominated three candidates, Robert B.A. Schoen, John DiFrisco, and Douglas Pascarella, to fill seats on the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Nassau County, or BOCES, for three-year terms which would begin on July 1.
The district will hold its budget adoption meeting April 10, and two additional informational sessions April 23 and May 8. The May 8 meeting will double as the district’s budget hearing. District residents can make their voice on the budget in the May 20 election by casting a ballot in the district’s Synergy Building.
