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Center Moriches faces roughly $460,000 budget shortfall; board aims to present a balanced budget April 21
Summary
District business official reported a preliminary gap of roughly $460,000 after recent reductions, citing higher benefit and salary costs and lower tuition revenue; administrators said they will pursue state-aid updates, special-education reviews and staffing options before an April 21 final workshop.
The Center Moriches Union Free School District's administration told the board it is working to close a roughly $460,000 budget gap after projecting higher expenses and lower-than-expected revenues.
"All revenues are coming less than we were expecting and all expenditures have grown," business official Mr. Oorio said, adding that employee-benefit costs increased by about $1,000,000 and salary expenses are up about $420,000. He said the district's maximum allowable tax-levy increase is 2.93 percent, "which in numbers is $792,000."
The presentation said a drop in tuition revenue from neighboring placements accounts for part of the shortfall; Mr. Oorio specified a reduction of about $258,000 tied to tuition and enrollment shifts. Administrators said their first review of staffing and code-by-code expenses reduced a roughly $900,000 gap to about $460,000.
Why it matters: the board must present a balanced budget to the public and voters under state rules. Administrators outlined three levers they are actively reviewing: (1) awaiting final state aid figures (staff said foundation-aid projections remain uncertain until early April), (2) reviewing special-education placements and associated contract costs, and (3) examining staffing decisions where feasible.
Board members pressed administrators for details on specific savings and cautioned against prematurely cutting classroom services. "If we want to close gaps, if we want to pay our educators, if we want to pay for the programs we run, we have to be savvy and aware of what we're doing," one board member said during the discussion.
Next steps and timeline: administrators said they will continue line-item reviews and present a balanced budget proposal at a final workshop on April 21. The public budget hearing is scheduled for May 6; the administration urged community turnout for the budget vote. The district will return to the board with updated state-aid numbers and any proposed staffing or program adjustments before formal adoption.
What remains uncertain: the final state-aid allocation and precisely which staffing or program reductions (if any) will be necessary. Administrators told the board they aim to minimize layoffs and will prioritize nonpersonnel savings where possible.
