Farmingdale School Budget Preview For 2023-24

FARMINGDALE, NY — Farmingdale residents are set to head to the polls on Tuesday, May 16.

The vote is scheduled at Weldon E. Howitt Middle School's west gymnasium from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The Farmingdale School District's proposed spending plan for the 2023-24 school year is $194,297,069. That's a 6.24 percent increase from the current budget. The tax levy is $136,812,306, or a 2.3 percent increase from last year's.

The proposed budget for next year is aimed at building on the school district's accomplishments and maintaining momentum for future Dalers, said Superintendent Paul Defendini in a letter to the community.

"As we look ahead we have new standards to meet and new goals to work towards," Defendini said. "Newton's First Law of Motion states, 'An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in motion remains in motion at constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by
an unbalanced force.' We are at a pivotal point as an educational institution."

Last summer, the Farmingdale Aquatic Center opened, providing pool access to the district's swim teams and community members.

The district also added staff, improved infrastructure and created initiatives to make schools safer, Defendini said.

"Lastly, and perhaps our most proud moment for the school year is the notification we received from the state that our ELA and Math scores have improved to the point where we are no longer considered to have schools in need of improvement," Defendini said. "There is no doubt that the support we receive from the community is the reason for all of this."

The district's primary revenue drivers are property taxes and state aid.

"The top priority for us each year is to design a budget that is fiscally responsible to the community, aimed at improving school programs, and is within the tax levy limit," Defendini said

The 2022-23 appropriation budget was designed around meeting the shifting needs of Farmingdale students and mitigating the impact of inflation, according to Defendini.

This year's proposed budget is centered around designing programs and services to close student achievement gaps, improve student wellness, and address the increasing need for student support and special education services.

Major medical increases make up the largest portion of the proposed budget increases because of inflation and rising medical costs, the superintendent said. Supplies and materials, equipment, insurance, and energy costs continue to climb because of inflation as well, he said.

"Despite these pressures we are able to present a budget with an increase below the year-over-year increase for inflation," Defendini said. "This budget has been designed to meet these needs without sacrificing our strong financial position."