Shoreham-Wading River School District

Proposed Shoreham-Wading River budget stays under tax cap

Shoreham-Wading River Superintendent Steven Cohen presents a portion of his proposed budget Tuesday night. (Credit: Paul Squire)
Shoreham-Wading River Superintendent Steven Cohen presents a portion of his proposed budget Tuesday night. (Credit: Paul Squire)

A preliminary look at the 2015-16 Shoreham-Wading River spending plan has revealed the district administration plans to stay under the state-mandated tax levy cap, despite still waiting for the state to release how much aid the district will get.

According to a budget proposal presentation by Superintendent Steven Cohen, the Shoreham-Wading River budget would increase by .9 percent in total from the 2014-15 school year spending plan.

That increase includes a jump in the tax levy of 1.5072 percent, just under what the district’s allowable tax limit will likely be, based on district calculations, Mr. Cohen said.

Due to budget disputes in Albany, the district still doesn’t know how much its state aid will increase, if at all, so the administration has budgeted for state aid to remain level.

Mr. Cohen said the district would rely less on its reserves and could tax less thanks to concessions from the teachers and employees unions. Under his proposed plan, special education would get a big boost, with an additional eight positions being added in the elementary and middle schools.

That would cut the ratio of special education to regular students in so-called inclusion classes in half, Mr. Cohen said.

“That is a huge increase in quality,” he said.

The full details of the budget will be revealed in the coming weeks.

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