Update: District Finalizes School Budget Workshop, Vote Dates

The Lindenhurst Union Free School District and the Lindy Board of Education have finalized the dates for public workshops to discuss the 2012-13 school budget.

Budget Workshop and Vote Dates
All of this year's will begin at 7 p.m. at the , 350 Daniel Street, on the following dates and will feature the following topics: 

• : Budget Overview, Community
• : Buildings and Grounds, Special Education, Transportation
• : Building Budgets (supplies, equipment, textbooks), Technology, Athletics (Update: The venue has been moved to )
• :
• : Finalization of the 2012-13 Budget (Update: The BOE asked to see more cuts, and postponed till April 18 at 8 p.m. Read more about it and .)

The next key date following the Workshops is:

• : Board of Education and Budget Adoption (It's here early, according to school officials, since the filing deadline is April 20.) (Update: The BOE asked to see more cuts, and postponed till April 18 at 8 p.m. Read more about it and .)

The Workshop and Business Meeting/Budget Adoption venue might be subject to change, according to school officials, if a larger turn-out is expected. (Update: The BOE on April 18. Read more about it , and , and take the polls about it and .)

(Update: Superintendent Richard Nathan is presenting the adopted 2012-13 budget vote to the community at various venues. More information could be found on the district's website here.)

The last, but not least, key date in the 2012-13 budget process is the . It's scheduled as follows:

• : Budget Vote, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at , , , and elementary schools. (Update: The district has made some changes to polling places, and has offered more information about voter registration. Read more about it .) (Second Update: The has passed. Read about it , and weigh in with your thoughts .) (Third Update: Read what your neighbors had to say about the budget's passage .)
  

In addition to the monthly BOE Meetings and Forums, these annual Budget Workshops give residents and parents the chance to ask questions of the administration and the BOE about the plans for the school budget for the following year.

They also offer the chance for the Lindy community to voice concerns about possible cuts to program and staff, over the New York state aid and mandates, and how the new NYS will affect next year's school budget.

As in years past this year's set of Workshops have specific topics, and related presentations by various school officials on those topics, to keep the conversation focused.

However, because they're in a Community Forum format, residents usually not only ask questions about the topics dicussed, but they also ask questions and raise concerns about a variety of concerns as the BOE and administration listens and answers.

Legislative Breakfast
The Budget Workshops also frame the school budget season in Lindenhurst, which is generally kicked off with the annual , held usually in February.

This year the Lindenhurst PTA Council-sponsored Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, at the auditorium, starting at 8:30 a.m. And there's no cost to residents to attend.

• Click for more information about the Breakfast.

(Update: Read more about what happened , , , and .)

More Budget Talk and Background
Now, while the budget season generally takes place in the second half of the present school year, Superintendent Richard Nathan did offer a at the budget challenges facing Lindenhurst Schools back on - well ahead of the district and the BOE entering the budget season for the 2012-13 school year.

• To read about that presentation where Nathan put out an "SOS" to the community in the face of the new tax cap, click .

• To read what fellow residents and readers of Lindenhurst Patch had to say about it, click .

• To read about what the district and the BOE had to say at the Community at about the recently released state aid figures for 2012-13 and the on-going BOE/ talks, click .

• To read about the effects on Lindenhurst, share your thoughts about it and take the Lindenhurst Patch poll about it, click .

Editor's Note: Look for more information about and coverage of these and the as the in Lindenhurst gets underway. These dates are also here on the district website, which also lists a link to a SCSSA tax cap survey.

And be sure to share your thoughts and concerns about this year's budget process with Lindenhurst Patch on the site in the Comments Section of articles on the topic like this one, on Facebook and Twitter, and by e-mailing barbara.loehr@patch.com with an opinion piece.