Public commenters urge clearer budget comparisons and vape-detector investment instead of armed security
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Summary
Two public comments addressed district budgeting and school safety: a resident urged using fund-balance percentages and warned about planning beyond realistic horizons; an emailed comment opposed armed security and recommended vape detectors to address widespread vaping in secondary schools.
Two public comments at Wednesday’s meeting highlighted community concerns about budgeting and student safety.
Jay Schoenfeld, a South Setauket resident and district alumnus, told the board that comparisons of fund balances to peer districts are more useful when shown as a percentage of the district budget rather than raw dollar amounts. Schoenfeld also urged the district to consider which existing programs are underused before adding new offerings and suggested a shorter, more realistic planning horizon for staffing forecasts.
An emailed comment from Stephanie Werner — read into the record — opposed proposals to add armed security in district schools, calling her stance "a staunch no," and urged the district to prioritize immediate measures to address vaping, including installing vape detectors and ensuring staff perform restroom monitoring duties more consistently.
What the board recorded: the email was read into the minutes and both comments were entered during the public comment period; no board action on these items was taken at the meeting.
Ending: the public comment period closed following the two submissions and the meeting proceeded to the policy and consent agenda items.