Budget presentation outlines roughly $10 million in capital work, turf-field proposition and May budget timetable

Deputy Superintendent and school business official Mr. O'Keefe presented the board with a draft general-fund budget that the district is keeping “basically flat,” while proposing roughly $10 million in capital work and outlining a schedule that would place a facilities proposition on the May ballot.

Why it matters: The presentation set the timetable for formal budget adoption and the community vote (adoption April 22; public hearing May 12; budget vote May 20) and explained how a capital-reserve proposition to fund a turf field and related site work at North could move from voter approval to construction only after a lengthy state approval process.

Mr. O'Keefe said the district expects the tax‑levy cap calculation for next year to allow a 3.05% levy increase and described the draft budget as holding current programs and staffing intact without additions. “This is a year in which the budget is staying basically flat. There's no addition of any new programming, no addition of additional staff members,” he said.

The administration identified about $10 million in proposed capital investments for the coming year. Major items called out in the presentation included a more-than-$7 million renovation to the South High School auditorium, a dust‑collection and exhaust system for the South High robotics lab, replacement of a hot‑water storage system in the South plant, a footbridge and other work at JFK, a large section of Lakeville's roof, renovations of two South Building bathrooms at Village School, and replacement of one of the boilers at Cumberland. The presentation also listed continued security upgrades (cameras and access control) and funding for security staff.

On athletics and site work, administrators proposed a multi‑part project at North (described in the presentation as North Middle School site improvements) that could include a synthetic playing surface, refurbished track, new grandstand and press box, upgraded restrooms connected to sewer (replacing a cesspool), a concession stand, new pedestrian walkways, and compliant field lighting. The administration said that if the board places a proposition before voters and it passes, the district still must seek design review and approval from the New York State Education Department (SED) before bidding or construction; Mr. O'Keefe said the SED review can take “literally 40 weeks or more.”

Cost comparisons and maintenance: The architects provided two cost options for the North field complex — a turf option at about $8.4 million and a sod (grass) option at about $6.8 million, with the sod plan including irrigation and restrictions on immediate use. The presentation said turf carpets typically carry warranties of roughly eight years and overall field carpet life of 10–12 years, and that re‑carpeting costs in present dollars are roughly $1 million to $1.2 million when replacement is required.

Transportation and other noninstructional costs were highlighted as significant budget drivers. The administration showed about $16.2 million for contractual transportation (buses), broken down in the presentation to roughly $5 million for public transportation, about $6.9 million for private‑school transportation and roughly $4.3 million for special‑education and other trips. Mr. O'Keefe noted that transportation contract adjustments are tied to a May Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure rather than to the tax‑levy cap and therefore can exceed the levy increase.

The presentation also flagged a likely increase in general‑fund spending for recreation and summer programs (to about $1.3 million) because COVID grant support that previously covered part of the program has ended; administrators said parental fees offset much of that projected expense on the revenue side.

Timeline and next steps: The district’s formal schedule in the presentation calls for a later budget hearing and adoption sequence: a wrap‑up presentation later this month, formal adoption of the budget on April 22, a public hearing on May 12, and the annual budget vote on May 20 (voting hours listed as 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at four locations). The administration said even with a successful May vote, projects typically require design approvals and permitting from the SED before contractors may be engaged, meaning construction often begins the summer after the vote.

“We literally post the building permit on the site just like you would at home, and that's our authorization then to move forward, publicly bid out the project and go from there,” Mr. O'Keefe said when describing the SED review and permitting process.

Ending: The board is scheduled to receive a second budget presentation later this month that will focus on instructional spending; the administration said it will recommend the board decide soon whether to put the capital‑reserve proposition on the May ballot so the item can meet the required 30‑day pre‑vote posting deadline.