Smithtown Schools Voter Guide: How Will You Vote?

Smithtown residents will decide on Tuesday whether or not to approve a $224.38  million budget for the 2013-14 school year.  

The proposed budget, if passed, will result in a tax levy increase of 3.63 percent, coming in below the state tax cap.

Additional state aid helped ward off deep cuts that would be seen in a Tier 2 budget. Under the adopted budget, Smithtown would implement its Tier 1 budget reduction cuts, which include $783,000 in attrition and retirement of district staff, $540,000, through the cancellation of the literacy program, $365,000 in the reduction of five full-time middle school employees and $340,000 in the reduction of four full-time elementary school employees due to declining enrollment.

While the 2013-14 budget represents a more than $10 million increase over last year’s budget. The district received $1.6 million more in state aid this year over last. The district will tap into $4.6 million in reserves; $1 million more than administrators did last budget season. With Tier 1 cuts in place, the district will have trimmed a $2.8 million deficit.  

Will you vote yes or no? Why? Log in to Patch and tell us in the comments.      

Proposed Budget: $224.38 million

• Tax Levy Increase: 3.63 percent (below cap) 
• Year-Over-Year Budget Increase: $9.04 million   
  

• Theresa Knox is seeking her fifth term. Knox was selected as vice president of the board of education in July 2011.      
• Louis Liguori, first elected in 2006, is seeking his third term on the board.

• Election District No. 1: Smithtown Elementary School Gymnasium
• Election District No. 2: St. James Elementary School gymnasium      
• Election District No. 3: Nesconset Elementary School gymnasium
• Election District No. 4: Accompsett Elementary school gymnasium   
  

• The school board can choose to put the same budget up for a re-vote at a future date. 
• The school board can choose to put up a revised budget at a future date.
• The school board can choose to go right into an austerity budget, which would not increase the tax levy, but which would likely cause millions of dollars more in cuts.
• If a budget vote fails twice, the school district automatically is subject to an austerity budget.