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Hampton Bays projects tighter budget as enrollment dips; budget hearing set for May 5
Summary
District leaders reported enrollment of 1,906 and a small downward adjustment to state aid; the district plans to adopt a budget proposal on April 21, hold a budget hearing May 5, and present a budget to voters May 19 amid pressures from transportation, special education and benefits.
Clemenson, a district staff member for the Hampton Bays Union Free School District, told trustees that current enrollment stands at 1,906 students (an increase of two from an earlier snapshot) but stressed that enrollment is volatile and drives long-term planning. He warned that enrollment trends and updated state data are directly shaping next year’s budget assumptions.
Clemenson outlined state-aid figures and the budget timeline. He said the governor’s proposed budget had initially yielded $15.515 million in state aid for the district, but that the New York State Education Department’s February database update reduced that projection to $15.507 million — a decrease of about $7,135. He also noted that the New York State Senate’s one-house budget released that day retained a 2% basic minimum (foundation-aid) increase, which would be more favorable for some districts than the governor’s proposed 1% floor.
On local budget mechanics, Clemenson said the district’s allowable tax levy is approximately 2.56% and that the current spending-increase estimate sits at roughly 2.05–2.06%, a tight margin the district is managing through staffing adjustments, retirements and departmental budget work. He identified transportation, special education and employee benefits as the principal cost drivers.
Clemenson walked through the budget schedule: the district anticipates adopting the budget proposal on April 21, holding a public budget hearing on May 5, and placing the budget before voters on Tuesday, May 19. He cautioned that if the budget fails, the district would move to a contingency plan and the vote timing would shift accordingly.
Other budget-related items discussed included regional shared-service opportunities (for example, South Fork United cooperative athletic arrangements with Southampton) and potential program changes tied to an expansion of universal prekindergarten (UPK) in state proposals. Clemenson said the district currently runs 36 half-day UPK slots and receives roughly $97,000 in UPK state aid; a cited governor’s proposal discussed an increased per-pupil UPK allocation that could support additional full-day seats, but Clemenson emphasized that final regulations and funding calculations remain unsettled.
The board approved the consent agenda earlier in the meeting without recorded roll-call tallies in this transcript excerpt, and the meeting was adjourned after public-comment procedures were read.
Next steps: the district expects to finalize detailed staffing and retirement projections as it prepares the April 21 adoption and the May 5 hearing.
