Port Washington school leaders present budget reductions and prioritize class-size, safety and instructional additions

Port Washington Union Free School District administrators told the Board of Education on March 11 that they have closed most of a rollover budget gap and asked trustees to authorize further work to find roughly $800,000 in reallocations so the district can pursue health-and-safety upgrades and instructional priorities, including elementary class‑size reductions.

The presentation, delivered by district staff during the board’s second budget workshop, laid out a plan to keep the budget within the district’s allowable tax levy while seeking funds for three priority areas: health and safety, instructional programs and operational efficiencies.

Administrators said state aid decreased compared with last year, creating the largest driver of the gap. “This decrease was over a million dollars compared to what was budgeted last year,” administrator statements said, and the reduction in state aid accounted for roughly 80% of the budget shortfall the administration has been closing.

District administrators described three lines of work to close the gap: trimming expenditures and contractual redundancies, bringing some services in‑house, and selectively adding positions if money can be found. Dr. Shields said, “Tonight is budget workshop session number 2. Our goal is to give you an update on how we've reduced the budget to stay within the allowable tax levy and then share with you some priorities that we have identified as possible additions to the budget.”

What administrators proposed - Cost reductions already identified include software‑spend consolidation across seven buildings, attrition of some positions, and contractual and transportation savings. The administration said those steps push expenditures below the allowable levy increase; the remaining shortfall is primarily due to the fall in state aid. - Requested priorities total about $800,000: roughly $100,000 for health and safety (including phased purchase of air‑conditioning window units and an AED strategic plan), about $650,000 for instructional program needs (curricular materials, field trips and staffing choices) and approximately $55,000 in identified efficiencies. - Staffing: the administration asked the board to authorize them to seek funding for up to three full‑time equivalent (FTE) teachers (budgeted cost discussed as about $360,000 for three FTEs in the materials shown) and one assistant director of Pupil Personnel Services (PPS) if funding can be reallocated. The administration framed the three FTEs as a hedge: if only one is feasible, it would be directed first to reduce elementary class sizes.

Class‑size goal and timeline Administrators proposed a working target of reducing elementary class caps by one student (for example, moving lower grades from a cap of 23 to 22 and upper elementary from 26 to 25) and said that they will allocate any funded FTEs against that priority first. Dr. Shields told the board that he had analyzed current enrollment and added, “Another variable we’re going to have to pay attention to is the incoming kindergarten class. It’s projected at 350. But if it shows up at 400, it’s going to change the playing field.” Trustees asked for clarity on how many FTEs would be required for various scenarios and how summer enrollment adjustments would affect assignments; administrators answered that placement decisions will be made after enrollment stabilizes in late spring/summer.

Other budget items discussed - HVAC/mechanic position: district staff recommended hiring an HVAC mechanic (initial new cost noted as about $40,000) to reduce long‑term contractual maintenance costs, particularly in light of new maximum temperature guidance for classrooms. - Air conditioning units: administrators proposed buying about 10 window/portable units per year for three years (stated cost roughly $3,000 per unit; $30,000 in next year’s budget) and a phased electrical upgrade to support additional units. - AEDs and device monitoring: a five‑year strategic AED purchase plan with $10,000 allocated in year one and continued device‑monitoring software (GoGuardian) funded from current allocations were presented. - Transportation: staff described bringing more runs in‑house after purchasing an additional bus and adding a driver; they cited expected savings and that an RFP returned favorable bids for several transportation lines.

Board reaction and next steps Trustees broadly supported class‑size reduction as a priority and pressed administrators for precise scenarios tying FTEs to enrollment cohorts. Trustee Rachel Gulliard said the board should “treat that as a priority that must happen,” while other trustees emphasized the need for realistic, budget‑based decisions and for administrators to find concrete tradeoffs.

The board asked administrators to continue work to identify internal reallocations and return with a clear set of tradeoffs at the next budget meeting (the administration said it expects to present outcomes at the March 20 budget meeting and to present a proposed budget for public hearing on May 6; the community vote is scheduled for May 20). The administration emphasized that any additions remain proposals until the board adopts the final budget.

Ending Administrators and the board agreed on a short timeline: continue working the priorities against the roster of reductions, present tradeoffs at the next budget workshop, and return to the board and community during the formal public‑hearing and adoption timeline this spring.