COMMENTS on the PROPOSED COMMACK SD BUDGET

The Commack S.D. budget for 2016-17 involves a 0.38% increase in the tax levy and a 1.3% increase in spending. What hasn’t been mentioned is that the proposed budget implies a 4.7% increase in spending/pupil ( to $29,717). This is the result of the budget increase of 1.3% and a 3.2% decrease in enrollment. Further, as noted in the Newsday voter guide, the increase in tax levy projects to 0.44% increase on the average home in Huntington and 0.38% in Smithtown. It’s not clear why the BOE could not find savings of 500K in a $187.5M budget. But they rarely, if ever, make any changes to the administration-proposed budget.

The Newsday voter guide points out one of the factors that does not appear in Diistrict literature – namely, anticipated step increases of 2.7% for teachers – even though their contract has expired and is being negotiated. In other nearby districts, we notice much smaller step increases. For example, Half Hollow Hills (1.25%), Elwood (1.62%), Huntington (0.63%), and no step increases in Harborfields and Kings Park.

The BOE continues to bring up the question of state aid. Yet, state aid to Commack in 2015-16 was $5896 per pupil and increased by 6.7% to $6291 per pupil in 2016-17.

Rejecting the budget eliminates the tax levy increase..