Wantagh Board of Education Adopts Proposed Budget

The Wantagh Board of Education adopted its proposed budget Thursday night with the spending plan including programs that had been announced as potential cuts at a town hall style meeting three weeks ago.

The $70.2 million budget proposal going before voters on May 17 represents a 1.46 percent increase over the district’s current budget.If approved by voters the tex levy, which is the total amount that a district must raise in property taxes in order to meet expenses, would rise 3.99 percent. District officials said the average Wantagh home of $411,00 would see a $311 increase in their tax bill.

The budget proposal includes funding for the swim team, which has been considered as a cut in a preliminary spending plan that drew heavy emotions from students and parents at a March 24 town hall style meeting. Some other cuts that had been considered but are now included in the budget proposal include continuing to offer separate seventh and eighth grade athletic teams and the high school tour play.

“We read all the letters and e-mails we receive and listened to your concerns raised at the town hall meeting,” said Wantagh Board of Education president Jean Quinn during Thursday’s nights meeting at Wantagh High School. “We have worked hard to craft a budget that supports our commitement to education and provides for extra- curricular and co-curricular programs.”

Wantagh Assistant Superintendent for Business Dana DiCapua said the district was able to fund programs that had originally been targeted for cuts in large by deciding to hold off on some facility renovations that had been planned for next year.

Former Wantagh Board of Education president Chris Wendt congratulated the administration and trustees for their hard work in crafting the budget. “It should not go unnoticed the amazing developments that have really been announced here tonight and the culmination of all of the work that you people have done in the last several months to get the budget down to where it is to under 4 percent proposed tax levy, a really small budget to budget change,” said Wendt. “I’m very impressed by that.”

Mitch Zerner, a member of the Wantagh Budget Advisory Committee was also very complimentary of the process undertaken to come up with a low budget proposal that maintains core programs and extracurricular activities. “I’ve never seen a better effort put forth by a board to come out with a budget that reflects the sentiment of the community,” said Zerner. “Thank you for your tireless effort and all the late nights and many cups of coffee you have had to put out.”

Voting on the proposed budget will take place May 17. A budget hearing is scheduled for May 5 immediately following that night’s Board of Education meeting that is slated to start at 8 p.m.