Glen Cove City Schools Budget Vote 2020: Results Awaited

GLEN COVE, NY — Glen Cove City Schools counted ballots Tuesday evening on the proposed 2020-21 budget, as well as in the Board of Education election, and now voters eagerly await to hear the results.

The vote comes as school districts across the state face uncertainty over the amount of state aid they'll receive. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned that the economic effect of the coronavirus shutdown could mean much less money available for state education aid. The state will assess and adjust its budget several times in the course of this year. The governor estimated that state aid would be 20 percent lower than promised.

As such, the Glen Cove school district included a mechanism in the proposed budget, should state aid be lower than expected.

"If revenues received are less than the forecast or actual spending is ahead of budgeted spending, then DOB can implement an across the board reduction," the district said in its budget presentation.

The budget includes money for capital projects such as expanding the high school's boiler room tanks and addressing electrical and lighting in the middle school auditorium.

It also includes $1.93 million in reductions, such as about $600,000 for support staff, $550,000 for additional middle school teachers, $250,000 in administrators and $150,000 for a human resources executive director.

Glen Cove 2020-21 Proposed School Budget

• 2020-21 proposed school budget: $92.5 million
• 2019-21 school budget: $91.3 million
• Budget increase (dollars): $1.2 million
• Budget increase (percent): + 1.33 percent
• 2020-21 tax levy: $70.9 million
• 2019-21 tax levy: $69.5 million
• Tax levy increase (dollars): $1.4 million
• Tax levy increase (percent): 2 percent

Should voters reject the proposed school budget, the district also created a contingency budget that eliminates equipment buys and all capital projects planned for the upcoming school year. It calls for eliminating at least 9.5 full-time employees, new high school course offerings, eliminating the nine-period day, all co-curricular activities and half of all sports programs.

Glen Cove 2020-21 Proposed School Contingency Budget

• 2020-21 contingency budget: $89.9 million
• Contingency budget decrease (dollars): $187,065
• Contingency budget decrease (percent): 0.21 percent
• 2020-21 tax levy: $69.5 million
• 2019-21 tax levy: $69.5 million

Board of Education Election
Monica Alexandris-Miller, the board's vice president, is up for re-election, as is Robert Field.