Budget work continues at Sullivan West

District develops a ‘wish list’

By KIMBERLY M. WEYANDT

LAKE HUNTINGTON, NY — Budget work continues at the Sullivan West Central School District. The school board members met with district superintendent Alan Derry on Wednesday, March 15 to discuss elements of what they’re calling the district’s “wish list.”

Working in a new way, the superintendent continues to add elements to the district’s wish list, asking board members to hold off making decisions on what to keep and what to cut. The wish list budget, if passed as is, would include a 10.6 percent increase in spending.

In what was said to be the final decision-free budget meeting, the board did not discuss specific budget numbers. It did not make any decisions against or in favor of any possible budget element. And it did not accept public comment.

During the meeting, the superintendent presented the district ideal for staffing. Derry’s wish list includes a director of technology and a technology teacher to replace the current technology coordinator and teacher position, and an additional elementary language teacher to continue the elementary language program. The high school would see the addition of a special education teacher, a language teacher and a driver’s education teacher. The middle school would see the addition of a math teacher. There would be the deletion of an elementary teacher, due to a projected loss of 30 students, and a social studies teacher in the high school, a position that has been vacant for all of this year. The district is also looking into an elementary summer school program.

The board will begin the tedious process of cutting the fat from the budget at its next meeting on Wednesday, March 29 in the high school library at 7:00 p.m. At this meeting, the public will get a look at district spending and be allowed to comment on the budget. Some decisions will be made final at that time. The board will present their final budget in April and the voters will vote on it in May.