001I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Board president, to advise members of the audience that they may address the board regarding agenda items after the superintendent's report. Only those members whose names and addresses are listed on the sign-in sheet available prior to the start of the meeting will be recognized during new business. The chairperson will limit discussions of any item by the public to 3 minutes in order for the board to expeditiously conduct its business. Now for the superintendent's report. Thank you, Mr. Rooney. Good evening, everyone. Um It's great to see that the weather's getting nicer out there and see our sports teams out there practicing, getting ready for for a successful
002spring season. So we're excited about that. We're excited about some of the some of the upcoming events that are shortly to be here such as award ceremonies, so on and so forth. So very excited about all that. At this time, I'd like to turn the mic over to Mr. Harrison for our budget presentation. Second budget presentation. Okay, thank you very much for the opportunity to have our second budget presentation. It's going to look very similar to the first because we don't have much more information at this time. There are a few highlights which I'll point out as I go through the presentation. So as we mentioned last time, I'll touch upon the higher points of state aid. Uh it's anticipated that we're going to get an increase of 0.84% in state aid that impacts the
003general fund. As you may remember, Newsday put out that we're getting a 2.76% increase. However, that includes UPK. UPK is not part of the general fund budget. So when you look at just the general fund portion of this, we're expecting a 0.84% increase or $347,000. Our foundation aid, which is going up by 1% or $296,000. Um we thankfully in the state in the governor's budget, the hold harmless provision is still there. So no district will receive less state aid than they've received in the prior year when it comes to foundation aid. As you can see, there's a huge increase in UPK, universal pre-kindergarten, which is reflective of the per student allocation going up from $5,400 a student to $10,000 a student. Property tax cap calculation yields a 1.86% increase from the levy from the 2025-2026
004school year to the 2026-2027 school year. Right now, that is the amount that's supporting the general fund budget when we get to that point later on in the presentation. So to walk through this quickly, uh you're allowed to increase the prior year levy by what's called a tax base growth factor, which is the amount of building that's estimated to be going on within the district boundaries. Uh unfortunately, we don't get much help from that number this year cuz it's flat at 1%. Our pilot payments, which are payment in lieu of taxes, are going up by $8,192. So that lowers the ability to increase the property taxes. And this is for the former Suffolk County Water Authority building. We don't yet know what the impact's going to be from the bowling alley on Main Street, but
005that'll probably part of the next year's presentation. The local share of capital projects is going down by $61,000. This is the debt service less state aid on those capital projects. So as this goes down, it also reduces your ability to raise taxes. And then finally, the 2% inflation factor, which right now is at the lesser of 2% or CPI. So CPI is higher, however, we can we cannot increase that factor by any more than 2%. So when you put all these things into the formula, it yields a 1.86% uh le- maximum allowable levy that does not require a 60% vote from the community. So as long as we have a majority of 50 plus one, we're allowed to go with the 1.86%. So this is just a bar graph that shows some historical information as
006well as the current year. Uh as you can see, we have never exceeded the tax cap levy. So we never required a 60% majority vote. And as you can see throughout the years, we've there have been times where we've been below the allowable levy cap. So there's a cost to be being below the cap every year, and that's the gap you see between the top line and the second line. So each year that you're below that um maximum allowable levy cap, there's that opportunity cost. So if you look at, for instance, the 2024-2025 school year, uh we could have taxed as high as 77.3 million. However, we went out at 75.8 million. So that difference was a loss of funding in that particular year. Cumulatively, if you look at it over time, the levy that
007could have been levied at this point it could have been as high as $90.7 million. However, based upon the district being historically below that cap, our levy is $79 million. So the average homeowner with an assessed value of $40,000, a 1.86% increase in the levy would mean a $149 annual cost increase compared to the prior year. Okay, so on the revenue side of the things in this pie graph, you can see that 60% of our revenues come from our property taxes with 32% coming from uh state aid. And to balance the budget between the revenue side and the expenditure side, the district is appropriating $7.3 million from reserves to balance the budget. We do have a great list of budget accomplishments and initiatives. I'd like everyone to take a presentation if they haven't already done
008so so they can spend some more time going through this impressive list of initiatives that have been put forth by the district. So moving on to the appropriation budget, the first slide reflects salary and benefits. There are a number of things going on here which I'll point out. Overall, salary and benefits going up 1.8%. That's driven mostly by employee benefits increasing by 6.35%. So starting at the top and the instructional teachers and administrators' salaries, this is impacted by retirements. We have 18 teacher retirements and administrators retiring as well with a net savings of $1.2 contractual increases that we're have on an annual basis. On the benefits side, the biggest driver there is the increase in health insurance, which is going up almost $2 million of the 2.1 million. We also have a budget adjustment for
009social security going up by $228,000. This is offset by fluctuations in the pension contribution systems. The ERS employee retirement system uh expense is going up there approximately $252,000, which is more than offset by the TRS decrease in the rates going down from 9.59% to 8.75%. So overall, salary and benefits going up $1.7 million. The rest of the budget is going up 4.13% or 1.4 million. We have a lot of things happening here as well. Uh on the equipment side, we've been doing a lot of spending in security, which is not going to continue for the upcoming year. Uh that's going down by over $300,000. This is offset by increases in uh that we have built into the next year's budget including signs for uh Timber Point. We also have some HVAC work being done across
010the district at the high school, middle school, and Timber Point as well. And we have some current replacements. So net net, equipment spending is going down by $465,000. On the transportation side, which is going up 5.2%, we We anticipating the results from a request for proposal that was sent out to be higher than what our current expenditures are. So, we try to estimate what that's going to look like. In terms of professional technical services, uh we are seeing an increase in expenditures relating to uh special education related services, as well as an increase relating to the number of athletic teams we've had over the years. If you look at the BOCES line, that's going up by $1.3 million, and that's driven primarily by special education tuition at BOCES placements. So, we've seen a a sharp
011increase this year, and we expect that to increase into next year. On the interfund transfer line, you see that's going down by 56,000, and that's primarily because of the 2025-2026 school year, there was interfund transfer to capital for the Timber Point demolition of the modular. And that's not Obviously, that's a one-time expense, so we're not having that reoccurring in the 2026-2027 year. So, overall, our budget-to-budget increase is $3.1 million or 2.41% in the first draft of the budget. So, just a analysis here showing that salary and benefits represent over 73% of the district budget. And just to While that may seem like a large number, that's essentially what you would see each district doing the same presentation. The remaining categories account for almost 27% of the budget. All at much smaller percentages than the salary
012and benefits. So, on the ballot on the vote vote in May, we're also going to have two propositions in addition to the budget. The first proposition would be to ask the voters for approval to spend from the capital reserve that was established in 2015-2016, and it would be for the purchase and installation of generators at the high school and Timber Point elementary schools. And this expenditure is roughly $1.4 million, and the idea is to place generators in these buildings, so at times of power outages, we're protecting our critical systems, including the HVAC systems, the cafeteria refrigeration systems, and the IT infrastructure. The IT infrastructure, these are two schools that serve as the hubs for the district, so if we're able to maintain power during outage, that would be critical for the remain the rest of
013the district. In addition, the district is considering is considering a the renovation of the Connetquot elementary school kitchen and serving line. And to in order to spend money, we have to first do a transfer between the reserve created in 2015-2016 to the reserve that was created in 2023-2024. The scope of the 2023-2024 reserve is more inclusive, which would have be it would allow us to do this project under that reserve. And we'll have to go out to the public for a vote during the 2027-20 I'm sorry, the 2026-2027 school year if this is approved. So, once the transfer is approved by the community, we have to come back for another vote. But, you can't do that the same year. That's why we have to have two separate votes in two separate years. So, the funding
014will happen if this is approved in the 2025-2026 school year, and we'll be back to the public asking for their approval in 2026-2027. So, here we have some key historical data. I'd like to draw your attention to the percent increase of the tax levy over a 10-year time, it's averaged at 1.1% annually. So, this was our second budget presentation. We'll be back on uh April 21st for the third presentation, and then May 5th. Hopefully, by April 21st, we'll have more information from the state with an approved budget, so we can be a little more uh finer with our revenue budget presentation. May 5th is the budget hearing, and then finally, May 19th is the budget vote from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. in this building. So, at this point, if there are any questions, I'd
015like to try and answer them. Does anybody on the board have any questions? Thank you, Mr. Harrison. Well, thank you. Thank you, Mr. Harrison. Uh at this time, uh Mr. Roland I have nothing to report. I don't. Okay, I don't either. Uh Board of Education student members report in this May? Uh yes, good evening, everyone. I hope everyone is having a great March so far. As a reminder, the third quarter will be coming to an end on April 1st, so we encourage all students to stay focused to finish the quarter off strong. The National Honor Society is having a sneaker drive, and we encourage anyone who is able to donate new, unused, or gently used sneakers to help support those in need. Also, the Science Honor Society's spring blood drive will be next Tuesday, March
01631st, with cafeteria sign-ups running today through next Monday, periods 4 through 8. This is a great opportunity to give back and make a meaningful difference in our community. And again, we invite everyone to come support the East Islip High School musical, Anything Goes, performed on March 26th and March 27th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., and March 28th from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. With spring coming up, we hope everyone enjoys this time off to relax. And I think that's my report. Thank you. Thank you. Public comments on agenda items only. Certified personnel, be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the Board of Education hereby approves of resignations, terminations, leaves of absences, position abolitions, employment appointments, tenure appointments, and salary changes in accordance with applicable provisions of the education law
017and civil service law as cited in the certified personnel attachments. Can I get a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. Non-certified personnel, be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the Board of Education hereby approves of resignations, terminations, leaves of absence, position abolitions, employment appointments, tenure appointments, and salary changes in accordance with the applicable provisions of the education law and civil service law as cited in the non-certified personnel attachments. Can I get a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. All right. Well, today is a bittersweet moment. I would like to take this time to recognize and celebrate Mrs. Doris Burns for her remarkable contributions to our school community. Over many years, she has been a dedicated and valued member of our district, leaving a lasting impact through both her
018personal and professional service. As a parent, she was actively involved in supporting our schools and ensuring a positive experience for students and families via the PTA. Mrs. Burns has proudly served our district for over 20 years as a district employee, including the past 10 years as my executive assistant, which certainly has been my pleasure and my joy. Thank you, Mrs. Burns. Um she has been a constant source of support, displaying professionalism, and taking care of staff, students, and the entire community. Her commitment, attention to detail, and willingness to go above and beyond have not gone unnoticed. Doris has played a key role in our day-to-day operations, always offering a helping hand and a warm, welcoming presence to everyone who walked through our doors. We are incredibly grateful for her years of service and the positive
019influence she has had on our district. Doris, you will certainly be missed. We wish you all the best for for your well-deserved retirement. Again, thank you for everything you have done to support our students and our school community. Don't get too happy. I'm going to pull you off the list and vote now. That's right. Thank you. Mr. Harrison? Uh thank you very much. I also would like to acknowledge two ladies that are on the agenda tonight who also handed in their resignation for the purposes of retirement. We have Margaret Carroll and Susan Martin, two ladies that have been serving as the backbone of the business office for quite some time. Margaret's time is combined between special ed and business office with 27 years of service. Uh Susan Martin has been in accounts payable for the
020past 20 years. And then like I said, they've both been uh the backbone of the office for different reasons. Uh Margaret had a unique skill in understanding both the business and and educational side of the special education world. And she really has done an essential job for the district over the years making sure the district properly received uh revenue related to the special education servicing of students. Uh recently, she's been in the in the payroll office also looking after the district's best interest uh from that perspective. So, her efforts over the years have been greatly appreciated. Uh Sue um handled accounts payable and uh she really did that in a very most professional manner over the years uh always with the utmost of uh professionalism in speaking to contractors, vendors, and employees as well as
021other members of the staff. Uh they're both leaving us with very big shoes shoes to fill and their presence will be missed uh almost immediately. So, without due I would like to have everybody acknowledge them as well. 8.1, items to be removed from the consent agenda. Okay, consent agenda. Consent agenda items number 9.2 to 9.13. Be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of schools, the Board of Education hereby approves consent agenda items 9.2 through 9.13 in accordance with the action presented for each item. I have a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. And donation from Donor's Choice. Be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of the schools, the Board of Education hereby accepts a grant from Donor's Choice for Connetquot Elementary School. Donor's Donor's Choice is a 501c3
022nonprofit organization that helps public school teachers obtain resources for their classrooms. Attached is the grant award letter including in the items to be received by Mrs. Bonner. Thank you. Donation from high school store. Be it resolved that upon I have a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. Go to the next one. Donation from the high school store. Be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of the schools, the Board of Education hereby accepts the donation of $505.81 from the school store at the high school to the East Islip School District. This donation will be used to purchase a router to be used by the students of the woodworking and core technology classes. The revenue code to be increased is A2705.000 and the appropriate budget code to be increased is 2110-533-09-0000. Can I
023have a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. Thank you for that donation. Appropriation changes. Be it resolved that upon the recommendation of the superintendent of the schools, the Board of Education hereby approves the attached list of appropriation changes for 2025-2026 school year. Can I have a motion? Motion. Second. All in favor? Aye. Old business? Okay. New business. I I just like to mention that our our high school musical, Anything Goes, uh starts on this Thursday from uh Thursday night 7:00 to 9:00, Friday night 7:00 to 9:00, and Saturday afternoon 2:00 to 4:00. Uh we saw a demonstration 2 weeks ago, which should be really nice, and I hope uh people can attend. Tickets are still on sale. Any other new business? Any public comments? Are there any other one speakers tonight? I have just
024one question about the budget. These are bottom line numbers that only change if the state aid changes. How do you get these numbers? Or where is all the documents that are put together to come up with documents numbers in the public statement? I'll defer that to Mr. Harrison. Do you understand the question? Yeah, th- these numbers are again in presentation format. There are detailed numbers that back up each one of these categories that have been presented to the board in draft format. The budget yet yet to be adopted. It's still in a draft. And the public see those documents? Well, you can certainly call my office and we can chat about that if you like. Why can't I talk about it now? The doc That's a simple question. I'm sorry? It's a simple question. Can
025the public see them? Normally, final documents are presented to the public at the time of the hearing. That is in May. The budget gets adopted in April, so it's still in draft format. So, So, all the four documents that you have that put together present these numbers, you're not you're not letting the public see them. You you can certainly come up and meet with Mr. Harrison and he will be happy to go over the numbers with you. Um again, that's a draft document. Therefore, for us to put it out to the public would not be Can we see the four documents put together to bring up that draft document? Paul, can you get the numbers from last year? Oh, that's not good. But it's the copy that allows given We have copies of the PowerPoint.
026They're they're out there. You Can you please leave your number with one of our district clerks and we'll contact you within a week? I will. Thank you. Thank you, sir. Any other public comments? Okay, the next uh Board of Education regular business meeting annual budget adoption budget presentation number three and the ESBOCES election and budget vote will be held on Tuesday, April 21st, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. Have a motion to adjourn. All in favor? Aye. Aye. Thank you.