The East Williston School District Board of Education laid out a budget proposal of $63.49 million for the 2020–2021 year, which would be a a $1.80 million increase from the 2019–2020 budget.
The recommended budget, which has not yet been finalized, prioritizes the year-three focus areas of the board’s five-year plan, which includes STEM, social and emotional learning, real world learning, facilities and security and implements next steps in the New York State Next Generation Standards roadmap, while operating under the tax levy cap.
The board was originally scheduled to meet for final budget deliberations Monday, after holding budget workshops on Feb. 26, March 4, March 11 and March 18, but has delayed final budget deliberations.
The budget draft is made up of a $7.39 million administrative component, $7.61 million capital component and $48.48 million programs component.
The suggested capital funds would go toward district-wide security initiatives and upgrades, classroom and building renovations and bathroom renovations, as well as vestibule renovations, IMC reconfiguration and field bathroom renovations at the Wheatley School.
Total K–12 student enrollment is projected to decline from 1,746 to 1,736 in the upcoming academic year.
North Side School Principal James Bloomgarden said in his presentation at the March 11 budget workshop that the biggest increase in student enrollment used to occur between kindergarten and first grade. Now, he said, as families move into the district with older children, we may start to see this shift happening later.
The proposed budget for North Side is $260,962, down 8.6 percent from last year’s $285,547.
In the upcoming academic year, North Side will continue to focus on incorporating technology and engineering into classroom learning. This includes building a new innovation lab and continuing to work with the Project Lead the Way engineering curriculum.
In 2019–2020, North Side integrated 3Doodler technology into the curriculum.
“My goal as an educator is to teach my young students that they can be the innovators of tomorrow,” said Rochelle Sroka, educational technology specialist at North Side. “Learning how to create, design and problem-solve using 3D technology is a key skill for their future.”
Willets Road School’s proposed budget for 2020–2021 is $321,273, an 8.98 percent increase from last year’s budget.
This year Willets Road will continue to prioritize social and emotional learning by hiring a full-time director of student life and continuing professional development in the responsive classroom approach, which is a set of research- and evidence-based practices designed to create safe, welcoming classroom communities.
“This year we really dug into that responsive classroom approach,” said Willets Road Principal Christine Dragone at the March 11 BOE workshop. In order to improve social and emotional learning, Willets Road also added a social worker to the staff in 2019–2020 and offered a number of assemblies, school spirit challenges and classroom activities, she said.
Dragone emphasized the importance of morning meetings, part of the responsive classroom approach, which teachers have built into their classroom schedules.
Teachers have continued to prioritize students’ social and emotional well-being as schools transition to remote learning in an effort to quell the spread of coronavirus.
“So incredibly floored by the way our teachers are connecting with our kids and continuing the best practices of morning meeting,” Dragone tweeted Tuesday.
The proposed budget for the Wheatley School is $12.96 million, up 5.58 percent from last year’s $12.31 million budget.
Wheatley Principal Sean Feeney said the recommended budget for the 2020–2021 year will allow the school to maintain instructional and support programs, offer new elective courses and address the year-three focus areas of the five-year plan.
In order to improve social and emotional learning, Wheatley has hired a part-time substance abuse and prevention counselor and is looking to hire a strength and conditioning coach in next year’s budget.
The addition of an environmental center and implementation of the Visual Enterprise program in business classes would address the district’s real world learning goals.
As part of the district-wide initiative to improve the STEM curriculum, Wheatley is looking to begin using ALEKS, a computer-guided adaptive program, in math classes, and TopoBox, an augmented reality tool, in science classes.
The athletics department is looking to add coaches for JV football, varsity boys’ bowling and varsity girls’ bowling, as well as assistant coaches for varsity boys’ soccer, varsity girls’ soccer and strength and conditioning.
Their proposed budget would also support the addition of varsity bowling and the purchase of a Pixellot Camera, a treadmill for the fitness room and a high jump mat for track.
Capital reserve projects to improve athletic facilities, which are NYSED-approved and slated to beginJune 1, include a new turf field and track, new baseball turf, full renovation of the tennis courts, sodding of Grummet Field and a new gymnasium floor.
In total, the proposed athletics department 2020–2021 budget is $27,595. The 2019–2020 budget was $15,118.
As it currently stands, residents can vote on the final budget on May 19 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. at the Wheatley gymnasium. However, New York school board representatives are calling for a statewide postponement of district voting on budgets and board candidates due to public health concerns resulting from the coronavirus pandemic.
