Mattituck-Cutchogue School Budget Passes By Wide Margin

MATTITUCK, NY — The residents have spoken: The public voted by an overwhelming margin to pass the 2024-2025 Mattituck-Cutchogue school budget vote— 461 to 169.

The proposed $45, 345,397 budget for 2024-2025 reflects a 3.02 spending increase and a 2.91 percent tax levy increase, under the tax levy cap.

"Always mindful of the needs of our community and students, our Board of Education made preparing the budget for our 2024-2025 school year a priority. Despite the fiscal challenges our community faces, our changing demographics, stellar special education programs and a desire and commitment to prepare our students for the future with rigorous and diverse coursework continues to propel us forward. We are conscious of the struggles of our taxpayers which guide our administration and superintendent to, as always, create a responsible budget that falls under the tax levy cap. Our proposed 2.91 percent increase on our tax levy does just that," the Mattituck-Cutchogue Board of Education said in its budget newsletter.

"As a district, we strive to offer a large variety of extracurricular activities, a proven successful extended learning day for our students, a BOCES collaboration with a newly formed carpentry program and a multi-tiered support system for all grades K-8. Our robust art and music programs, additional foreign language level and our ever-present social emotional support teams are all aspects that motivate us forward," the BOE said.

Proposition No. 2 was for the ability to utilize $727,000 from the capital reserve for the high school facia and cupola work. "The building was constructed in 1934 and clearly needs work. These funds come from capital reserves set aside that do not affect the tax level," the BOE said.

That measure also passed, 505 to 97.

Four BOE candidates are running for three seats, including incumbents Jeffrey Connolly, Doug Cooper, Karen Letteriello, and Lauren Ocker. The incumbents won, with Connolly receiving 400 votes, Cooper, 418, and Letteriello, 459. Ocker received 359 votes.