School Budget Breakdown: What You'll Be Voting On

The time to vote on the $212.4 million proposed school budget is 24 hours away. Parents and taxpayers voters can decide to approve or reject the proposed school budget, as well as vote to elect or re-elect Board of Education members, and to approve or reject a bus referendum.

Here is a breakdown of what you’ll be voting on.

To hit the $212.4 million mark, aside from imposing a 4.9 percent tax levy, the district is looking to make cuts by increasing class size, cutting athletic programs, eliminating staff and more. 

Class Size Changes

Kindergarten class size will remain at 25 students, while grades one through three will increase to 27 students from 25, and for grades four and five will increase to 28 students from 26. This will result in the reduction of 14 teachers.

Athletics and Physical Education Cuts

The JV2 teams, which are teams of ninth grade students who did not make regular junior varsity teams, will be finished. Physical education will be reduced to every other day, resulting in the reduction of four teachers.

Custodians, Lunch Monitors and Other Staff Reductions

With an approval of the new budget, the staff will be reduced by 30 employees, which will include custodians to lunch monitors, teachers’ aides and more.

• 11 custodial positions
• Six lunch monitors
• Five clerks
• Three teachers’ aides
• One central office administrator
• One computer technician
• One part-time nurse
• One sign language interpreter
• One senior guard

Bus Referendum 

Up for vote on May 17 is a bus referendum, which if passed will increase distances where children can get bus service to school.

• Elementary: one-half mile limit
• Secondary: one-and-a-half mile limit
• Private and Parochial School: 15 mile limit

Three Board of Education Seats are Open

Five candidates are running for three seats on the Board of Education. Here are our candidate profiles:

The budget, if passed, will support full day kindergarten, high school electives, co-curricular theatrical and musical programs throughout the district, current middle school teaming, elementary STEMS enrichment program, sports programs, late buses, and no fees for Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and other community groups to use the school facilities.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Nesconset Elementary, Accompsett Elementary, Smithtown Elementary and St. James Elementary. Voter location cards were mailed but if you are not sure of which location to vote at information is available in the Smithtown Central School District Digest or by calling District Clerk Mary Wilson at 382-2012.