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District staff outline staffing shifts, enrollment trends and budget gap at March 25 meeting
Summary
Deputy Superintendent and Finance staff presented proposed staffing adjustments tied to enrollment changes, dual-language compliance and special education needs; the draft budget gap narrowed to about $1.2 million and staff listed several cost pressures including special education and BOCES charges.
District administrators presented staffing proposals and a draft budget overview at the March 25 Huntington Union Free School District Board of Education meeting, outlining class-section changes, special-education cost pressures and a remaining budget gap.
Deputy Superintendent Mr. Hender and Dr. Harris led the staffing and budget presentations, describing enrollment rollovers that will add or remove class sections at several elementary schools and noting new dual-language sections to comply with part 154 regulations.
Administrators said Flower Hill Primary required an extra section last August after a late influx of students; Jefferson will add a section next year and the district plans two dual-language kindergarten sections there to meet part 154 requirements. Washington and Southdown primary schools face net losses of one class section each, while Woodhull and Jack Abrams will be rebalanced to reduce class sizes. In some cases a retirement was cited as the reason a section will not be replaced.
Special-education services drove a budget increase administrators flagged as a major pressure. Finance staff listed students-with-disabilities spending rising 8.79 percent (noted in the presentation as a principal cost driver) and occupational education/CTE charges up 41.47 percent, which staff tied to higher participation in BOCES programs and a two-year averaging method that affects charges.
Dr. Harris highlighted other line items and assumptions: an anticipated 3.48 percent increase for health insurance in the draft, an ERS/TRS estimate provided by the state retirement systems, and several retirements and MOA changes incorporated into the staffing spreadsheet. Administrators said they were accounting for roughly 25–26 retirements in the current budget cycle.
On staffing, the district presented a net instructional change that included not refilling one classroom teacher (retirement) while adding positions in special education, speech services (+0.6 district-wide compared with prior year MOAs), and one additional full-time social worker to float across elementary schools. The district said the social worker position will be allocated by the director of Pupil Personnel Services after a July/August assessment of needs.
Finance staff reported the draft budget gap narrowed from earlier presentations to roughly $1.2 million, moving from a 5.17 percent tax-levy projection at an earlier draft to a 4.11 percent projection in the current draft. Administrators emphasized continued work to close the gap ahead of next meetings and said they would provide a deeper revenue dive on April 7.
Staff noted unpredictability in BOCES-related bills: regional summer services and career-technical education billing depend on multi-year averages and actual summer participation, which historically can produce retroactive charges. A transportation review produced a proposed $200,000 reduction in projected transportation spending based on current performance and contracts.
During public comment after the presentation, a resident suggested exploring in-district alternatives to BOCES career-technical offerings as a long-term cost-control option; district staff acknowledged the suggestion as part of ongoing program and budget review.
Administrators closed by saying postings for open positions will go live the next day to attract candidates earlier in the hiring cycle.
