Residents of the Riverhead Central School District will vote Tuesday on whether to approve a $201.4 million operating budget for the 2024-25 school year.
The budget proposes spending $9.4 million more than the current school year’s operating budget — a roughly 5% increase. The budget requires raising the school district’s current tax levy by 3.34% — the maximum allowable under the school district’s tax levy cap — to generate an additional $3.48 million from property taxes.
The most significant cost increases are in employee benefits and health insurance expenses, and instruction expenses, according to presentations by Interim Assistant Superintendent for Business Marianne Cartisano. The spending plan also includes some controversial cuts, including the elimination of 56.8 full-time equivalent faculty and staff positions through layoffs and attrition, and cutting some programs and classes if they don’t meet certain enrollment requirements.
In addition to the $107.7 million the district plans to raise through property taxes, the district will use $4.3 million in payments in lieu of taxes, $5.8 million of the district’s fund balance, and $80.6 million in state aid to fund the budget, according to the district’s revenue plan.
Read RiverheadLOCAL’s reporting on the 2024-2025 district budget here.
The budget documents are available to view on the school district’s website. A public hearing on the budget at Tuesday night’s school board meeting drew no comments from the public.
If district voters were to reject the budget plan, the school board could either put a modified budget proposal up for a vote, adopt a contingency budget with no tax increase, or put the same budget up for a revote. Cartisano has recommended to the school board that, if the budget fails, the school board should put up the same budget for a revote in June.
“I have given you the best financial plan you can for this budget,” Cartisano said told the school board on April 16. “I am not holding any secret trick to play in June. I don’t put a budget on sale three weeks from now. This is the best financial plan you can offer your community. So I don’t see any reason to adjust it.”
Voters will also elect two trustees to the Riverhead Board of Education. There are two candidates on the ballot this year: incumbent Brian Connelly and newcomer Kelly Freeborn. Read more about them here, with links to the candidate Q&As.
Also on the ballot Tuesday will be a proposition to authorize the Riverhead Board of Education to allow a member of the Riverhead High School senior class to serve as a non-voting member of the school board.
Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at a resident’s local K-4 elementary school. Find your polling place here.
The survival of local journalism depends on your support.
We are a small family-owned operation. You rely on us to stay informed, and we depend on you to make our work possible. Just a few dollars can help us continue to bring this important service to our community.
Support RiverheadLOCAL today.
