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Voting for school budgets and boards of education begins tomorrow
School budget and board of education voting is tomorrow, May 20th.
School budgets on Long Island could rise 3.68% on average to a total of $16.36 billion in 2025-26, as districts step up career-oriented training and other instruction, while also providing for renovation of classrooms, gyms and other aging facilities. John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that budget voting is scheduled for tomorrow in 124 districts regionwide, with a total of 335 school-board candidates on ballots, together with more than 100 special propositions. The great majority of districts are keeping within the state’s strict tax caps, while Elwood, Hicksville and Shelter Island will seek cap overrides.
If the budgets put forward by school districts in Nassau and Suffolk are approved tomorrow, property taxes would increase to a total of $10 billion, or an average of 2.3%, with a continued flow of state financial aid picking up a larger share of educational costs. Revenue growth would push costs next year to more than $39,700 per student, among the highest figures in the nation.
Questions remain around federal aid, in part due to a dispute between the Trump administration and state authorities over the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools.
Regional finance experts say federal funding represents about 4.5% of school revenues on Long Island, while state funding is more than 30%.
According to the latest state records from the 2023-24 school year, school districts in the region receive nearly $700 million annually in federal funding. That figure covers assistance for educational purposes, and does not include funding for school meals, which is handled separately.
Districts have proposed additions ranging from advanced college-level coursework to sports to student security. Other school districts, meanwhile, plan cutbacks in staffing and services.
Lars Clemensen, superintendent of Hampton Bays schools, tells NEWSDAY that the variety of goals embedded in districts' spending plans reflects the fact schools these days are being called on to provide a growing number of services. Clemensen is also president on the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
"Long gone are the days when the 3Rs were the sole focus," said Clemensen, referring to the basic subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic. "It strikes me how powerful the idea of local control is on Long Island, because each district is responsive to what local residents say is important to them."
Voting hours tomorrow vary across Long Island’s 124 school districts.
Robert Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, said in a prepared statement, "School districts over the past several years have had to deal with the challenges of sustained inflation that has exceeded allowable tax caps…We applaud the work of boards of education, together with their administrative teams, in sustaining a level of excellence in public education."
The cost squeeze is just one reason why many districts are making cuts. Another factor is dwindling enrollments.
A Newsday analysis last year found the region's student population dropped 7.3% over the prior decade, from 455,384 students to 421,990. District projections for next year, compiled by the state, show a continued decline to 412,465.
The status of next year's federal aid to schools also remains a question mark, partly due to a highly-publicized legal dispute between the Trump administration and New York State authorities over the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools.
***
The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center will host a ceremony recognizing the service and leadership of fire chiefs of color — past and present — representing departments from East Hampton to Southampton. The event will take place this coming Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, at The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, 551 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton.
This gathering will bring together honorees, their families, elected officials, fellow firefighters, and community members to celebrate the legacy and impact of these trailblazing local public servants.
To be honored are Alex Verdugo, Dudley Hayes, and Jamalia Hayes of the East Hampton Fire Department; Anthony Stevens, Emmanuel Escobar, and Polis Walker of the Southampton Fire Department; and Nicholas Hemby and Thomas Jenkins of the Bridgehampton Fire Department.
“The Center is privileged to be able to gather, honor and properly thank our local fire chiefs for their vital service to our community. We live in gratitude every day that they keep us just a bit safer. Please support your local volunteer fire department and offer your services yourself if able,” said Bonnie Michelle Cannon, executive director of the center.
The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. RSVP by emailing [email protected].
***
As Southold considers extending its moratorium on new hotels and inns for another year, the developer of a proposed hotel in Mattituck is asking the Town of Southold to make an exception with the pitch it will improve a long blighted area.
Developer D'Wayne Prieto is seeking to build an 81-room hotel at 9025 Main Rd., a 77,000-square-foot property which formerly housed a bank headquarters. It's been vacant since 2011. The application was frozen by a yearlong moratorium on hotels that took effect last June.
With that moratorium set to expire on June 18, the town set a May 28 hearing to continue the pause for another year.
Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Southold enacted the moratorium in response to an influx of hotel proposals while the town launched plans for a sweeping overhaul of its zoning code, which was last updated in 1989.
Now, Southold Town must weigh the reuse of the vacant building against its long range planning goals. The developer’s request has sparked a divide as residents urge town officials to heed their warnings that an exception could jeopardize the town’s zoning plan.
Southold Supervisor Al Krupski said the town is under pressure from developers to build hotels, which drive tourism but can strain municipal resources and worsen traffic.
Southold currently has 337 hotel and motel rooms, with another 142 in the Village of Greenport. There are five proposed new hotels. If all of them are approved, that would bring the total number of rooms to 515, according to a Suffolk County Planning Commission report.
The Town of Southold must first decide whether the application can proceed through the review process, not whether the hotel is approved. The board has not made a decision and will continue the public hearing on May 28.
***
Due to inclement weather, the final paving work for the Snake Hollow railroad crossing originally scheduled for this past Friday has been rescheduled for tomorrow when Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton will be closed to all except local traffic. Work will take place tomorrow during the daytime hours, from 7 a.m. until approximately 5 p.m., according to the Long Island Rail Road, which states that this paving marks the final step in the grade crossing renewal project at Snake Hollow Road intended to enhance safety and service quality.
MTA Police will be onsite to support the closure. The LIRR suggests Butter Lane as an alternate route.
***
Many agents agree that, while there may be less inventory as time gets closer to Memorial Day, there might also be some deals to be had for seasonal rentals on the East End for Summer 2025.
Stacey Altherr reports in NEWSDAY that on the south fork - “The Hamptons” - spans many communities, but the most notable summer destinations are from Southampton east to Montauk Point. Vacationers come back year after year to the pristine beaches, high-end shopping, upscale restaurants and the general ambience. For nature lovers, hiking at public parks, touring wineries and kayaking on the bay bring them back, as well.
High-end rentals are being snapped up, but those in the $50,000 to $125,000 price range for the summer season — usually Memorial Day to Labor Day — are available, said James Keogh, an agent with Douglas Elliman's Atlantic Team.
"In general, the rental season's high-end got swept up early," he said. "Then it cooled off a bit," referring to full season rentals in the $250,000 to $1 million budget that feature prime locations, tennis courts and large pools.
Prices have settled into a price point for the past two or so years following the pandemic.
Tom Friedman, an agent with Rosehip Partners LLC in East Hampton, a boutique real estate firm said, "Since Covid, [prices] went up dramatically because of the great demand to be out of the city," Friedman said. "Since then, it has come down a little, and it seems very steady one year to another."
On the East End, laws limit the amount of unrelated people who can rent in one home, affecting the nostalgic "shares" where people rent bedrooms for a set number of days within one rental. Currently, the law says no more than four unrelated people can rent one home, said Friedman, although he said about 75% of his rentals are to families.
Rentals need not be for an entire season. In fact, there are many weekly or monthly rentals as well.
View all episodes
By WLIW-FMSchool budget and board of education voting is tomorrow, May 20th.
School budgets on Long Island could rise 3.68% on average to a total of $16.36 billion in 2025-26, as districts step up career-oriented training and other instruction, while also providing for renovation of classrooms, gyms and other aging facilities. John Hildebrand and Michael R. Ebert report in NEWSDAY that budget voting is scheduled for tomorrow in 124 districts regionwide, with a total of 335 school-board candidates on ballots, together with more than 100 special propositions. The great majority of districts are keeping within the state’s strict tax caps, while Elwood, Hicksville and Shelter Island will seek cap overrides.
If the budgets put forward by school districts in Nassau and Suffolk are approved tomorrow, property taxes would increase to a total of $10 billion, or an average of 2.3%, with a continued flow of state financial aid picking up a larger share of educational costs. Revenue growth would push costs next year to more than $39,700 per student, among the highest figures in the nation.
Questions remain around federal aid, in part due to a dispute between the Trump administration and state authorities over the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools.
Regional finance experts say federal funding represents about 4.5% of school revenues on Long Island, while state funding is more than 30%.
According to the latest state records from the 2023-24 school year, school districts in the region receive nearly $700 million annually in federal funding. That figure covers assistance for educational purposes, and does not include funding for school meals, which is handled separately.
Districts have proposed additions ranging from advanced college-level coursework to sports to student security. Other school districts, meanwhile, plan cutbacks in staffing and services.
Lars Clemensen, superintendent of Hampton Bays schools, tells NEWSDAY that the variety of goals embedded in districts' spending plans reflects the fact schools these days are being called on to provide a growing number of services. Clemensen is also president on the New York State Council of School Superintendents.
"Long gone are the days when the 3Rs were the sole focus," said Clemensen, referring to the basic subjects of reading, writing and arithmetic. "It strikes me how powerful the idea of local control is on Long Island, because each district is responsive to what local residents say is important to them."
Voting hours tomorrow vary across Long Island’s 124 school districts.
Robert Vecchio, executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association, said in a prepared statement, "School districts over the past several years have had to deal with the challenges of sustained inflation that has exceeded allowable tax caps…We applaud the work of boards of education, together with their administrative teams, in sustaining a level of excellence in public education."
The cost squeeze is just one reason why many districts are making cuts. Another factor is dwindling enrollments.
A Newsday analysis last year found the region's student population dropped 7.3% over the prior decade, from 455,384 students to 421,990. District projections for next year, compiled by the state, show a continued decline to 412,465.
The status of next year's federal aid to schools also remains a question mark, partly due to a highly-publicized legal dispute between the Trump administration and New York State authorities over the use of diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools.
***
The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center will host a ceremony recognizing the service and leadership of fire chiefs of color — past and present — representing departments from East Hampton to Southampton. The event will take place this coming Saturday, May 24, from 10 a.m. to noon, at The Bridgehampton Child Care & Recreational Center, 551 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike in Bridgehampton.
This gathering will bring together honorees, their families, elected officials, fellow firefighters, and community members to celebrate the legacy and impact of these trailblazing local public servants.
To be honored are Alex Verdugo, Dudley Hayes, and Jamalia Hayes of the East Hampton Fire Department; Anthony Stevens, Emmanuel Escobar, and Polis Walker of the Southampton Fire Department; and Nicholas Hemby and Thomas Jenkins of the Bridgehampton Fire Department.
“The Center is privileged to be able to gather, honor and properly thank our local fire chiefs for their vital service to our community. We live in gratitude every day that they keep us just a bit safer. Please support your local volunteer fire department and offer your services yourself if able,” said Bonnie Michelle Cannon, executive director of the center.
The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited. RSVP by emailing [email protected].
***
As Southold considers extending its moratorium on new hotels and inns for another year, the developer of a proposed hotel in Mattituck is asking the Town of Southold to make an exception with the pitch it will improve a long blighted area.
Developer D'Wayne Prieto is seeking to build an 81-room hotel at 9025 Main Rd., a 77,000-square-foot property which formerly housed a bank headquarters. It's been vacant since 2011. The application was frozen by a yearlong moratorium on hotels that took effect last June.
With that moratorium set to expire on June 18, the town set a May 28 hearing to continue the pause for another year.
Tara Smith reports in NEWSDAY that Southold enacted the moratorium in response to an influx of hotel proposals while the town launched plans for a sweeping overhaul of its zoning code, which was last updated in 1989.
Now, Southold Town must weigh the reuse of the vacant building against its long range planning goals. The developer’s request has sparked a divide as residents urge town officials to heed their warnings that an exception could jeopardize the town’s zoning plan.
Southold Supervisor Al Krupski said the town is under pressure from developers to build hotels, which drive tourism but can strain municipal resources and worsen traffic.
Southold currently has 337 hotel and motel rooms, with another 142 in the Village of Greenport. There are five proposed new hotels. If all of them are approved, that would bring the total number of rooms to 515, according to a Suffolk County Planning Commission report.
The Town of Southold must first decide whether the application can proceed through the review process, not whether the hotel is approved. The board has not made a decision and will continue the public hearing on May 28.
***
Due to inclement weather, the final paving work for the Snake Hollow railroad crossing originally scheduled for this past Friday has been rescheduled for tomorrow when Snake Hollow Road in Bridgehampton will be closed to all except local traffic. Work will take place tomorrow during the daytime hours, from 7 a.m. until approximately 5 p.m., according to the Long Island Rail Road, which states that this paving marks the final step in the grade crossing renewal project at Snake Hollow Road intended to enhance safety and service quality.
MTA Police will be onsite to support the closure. The LIRR suggests Butter Lane as an alternate route.
***
Many agents agree that, while there may be less inventory as time gets closer to Memorial Day, there might also be some deals to be had for seasonal rentals on the East End for Summer 2025.
Stacey Altherr reports in NEWSDAY that on the south fork - “The Hamptons” - spans many communities, but the most notable summer destinations are from Southampton east to Montauk Point. Vacationers come back year after year to the pristine beaches, high-end shopping, upscale restaurants and the general ambience. For nature lovers, hiking at public parks, touring wineries and kayaking on the bay bring them back, as well.
High-end rentals are being snapped up, but those in the $50,000 to $125,000 price range for the summer season — usually Memorial Day to Labor Day — are available, said James Keogh, an agent with Douglas Elliman's Atlantic Team.
"In general, the rental season's high-end got swept up early," he said. "Then it cooled off a bit," referring to full season rentals in the $250,000 to $1 million budget that feature prime locations, tennis courts and large pools.
Prices have settled into a price point for the past two or so years following the pandemic.
Tom Friedman, an agent with Rosehip Partners LLC in East Hampton, a boutique real estate firm said, "Since Covid, [prices] went up dramatically because of the great demand to be out of the city," Friedman said. "Since then, it has come down a little, and it seems very steady one year to another."
On the East End, laws limit the amount of unrelated people who can rent in one home, affecting the nostalgic "shares" where people rent bedrooms for a set number of days within one rental. Currently, the law says no more than four unrelated people can rent one home, said Friedman, although he said about 75% of his rentals are to families.
Rentals need not be for an entire season. In fact, there are many weekly or monthly rentals as well.