Farmingdale School District Details Proposed Capital Improvement Projects

Farmingdale, NY (April 11, 2016) – The Farmingdale School District recently met with Farmingdale residents at a Board of Education Special Meeting/Budget Workshop to discuss the District’s proposed capital improvement projects and the capital reserve funds that are part of the proposed budget for the 2016-2017 school year. The projects as a whole are intended to cut costs and enhance the academic environment for students and staff throughout the District at the lowest possible cost to taxpayers. During the meeting, Farmingdale residents were also offered an opportunity to provide input as part of the District’s focus on openly and transparently developing a budget that closely reflects the needs of the community.

“The Farmingdale School District keeps the best interest of our students and community in mind when developing the budget for the upcoming school year, which is why we focus so heavily on long-term planning and financial stability,” said Paul Defendini, Farmingdale School District Assistant Superintendent for Business. “Each year, we look forward to meeting with members of the Farmingdale community to review the work we are doing to continually provide students with the tools and resources to succeed both in the classroom and beyond. Our schools are known for being some of the best on Long Island, and with our community’s help and input, we plan to keep enhancing our ability to provide a healthy, safe and fruitful learning environment for years to come.”

For the 2016-2017 budget, the District is requesting to appropriate $1.5 million from existing capital reserves to complete a roof replacement project at Northside Elementary School, which is listed as Proposition #2. Due to the District’s proactive financial mindset, this project would come at no additional cost to the taxpayer if approved.

“Unfortunately we cannot predict the political landscape and the state funding we will receive year over year, so we have made it our mission to establish a forward-looking mindset to maintain stability regardless of the economic climate,” said Mr. Defendini. “We believe the proposed budget will help the Farmingdale School District maintain its reputation as a high-quality academic institution, and the capital plan we’ve created over the years will enable us to implement necessary improvements at no additional cost to the taxpayers.”

During the presentation, Mr. Defendini also announced the completion of several energy-related capital improvement projects that were part of the last several budgets, including boiler replacements in all District buildings and window replacements at all District schools. In addition, the District made a concerted effort to address energy conservation by identifying areas for daylight harvesting controls, adding 765 occupancy-sensor lights and addressing 16,000 light fixtures. These initiatives are projected to result in significant energy savings for years to come.

As part of the 2016-2017 budget, the District plans to follow its path toward energy efficiency by installing a new web-enabled supervisory controller to activate automatic temperature control throughout the school. This is one of the many programs the District has put forth within the upcoming school year’s budget intended to both save energy and keep the school community more comfortable. In addition to energy conservation, the District also explained several safety-related projects it has implemented to continue to ensure student safety.

The proposed budget for the 2016-2017 school year stays within the District’s specific tax levy cap of 0.17% while maintaining academic and extracurricular programs for students.

The District reminds residents to vote on the 2016-2017 proposed budget on Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at the Howitt Middle School East Gymnasium from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.

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