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Farmingdale School Board Approves Budget

Separate proposition will seek voter approval to use funds for building improvements.

The Farmingdale school board unanimously approved a budget Tuesday night of $150,567,160.

While the tax levy--the amount of funding a school district needs to raise through property taxes to balance its budget--will increase 2 percent, the budget itself increases just 1.82 percent, or $2,688,676.

The district will receive an infusion of $600,000 in preparation for future budgets after the shuffling of state funds available to schools announced in Albany last week.

Another $50,000 savings will be realized on pre-school special education because the Legislature overrode Gov.Cuomo's recommendation to require districts to cover those costs. In discussions of the budget before the vote Tuesday night, the district also cited savings on debt service bcause of its good Standard & Poor's rating of AA+.

In addition to the budget, voters will be asked to approve the use of $5,650,000 from capital reserves on several window and energy projects, including:

$3,077,110 for Howitt Middle School windows

$1,289,115 for Saltzman East Memorial windows

$1,281,525 for Albany Avenue windows

Revenue   Tax Levy $114,539,602 State Aid $25,247,558 Other Income $3,280,000 Fund balance/reserves $7,500,000 Total Revenue Budget $150,567,160 Appropriations Salaries $78,345,917 Employee Benefits $37,439,051 Other $34,782,192 Total Budget Before Required Reductions $150,567,160 Total Budget $150,567,160

A public hearing on the budget is set for May 8, with the public vote on May 15.

taxpayer April 4, 2012 at 06:23 pm
mint 75% of the schools budget will go the teachers and the benefits... what bull $$$$. thank you so much for letting us pay you over 100,000 a year to work 4 periods a day and kicking our kids right in the you know what....lets start laying off the teaches and making the right choices....again if we keep going this way... our kids wont be able to afford to live here.. people wake and start listening
Concerned taxpayer April 4, 2012 at 08:25 pm
Most enterprise's majority cost is for personnel.
taxpayer April 4, 2012 at 10:00 pm
I understand that but remember they are civil servents.... its suppose to be a job with good bene not great bene and great salaries on the back of tax payers
taxpayer April 4, 2012 at 10:03 pm
i understand that and if you add up the 4 periods they work a day to teach thats 3hrs and 20min a day now divide that by the salary you are talking big bucks an hour...
Helen April 4, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Question: What's the "other" line item? $35 MILLION just floating out there.....
John Rennhack April 5, 2012 at 01:36 am
How about we fire all the teachers, taxpayer. Save the school district millions and millions.
Jeffrey Lee April 5, 2012 at 01:42 am
The 35 million could be for litigation that is attorney client privilege even though the taxpayer is the client.
Jeffrey Lee April 5, 2012 at 01:44 am
All these teacher haters out there....me personally...I have always been "Hot for Teacher" hahaaaaa Quit your whining because your jealous you didn't have the foresight to become a Long Island teacher !
Elizabeth April 5, 2012 at 02:59 am
Hey Taxpayer, at least get your facts straight before you bash teachers....Teachers have an 7-8 hour work day depending on the grade and subjects taught. While they teach 5-6 periods, the remainder of the time is allotted as follows: lesson planning, meeting with administrators/parents, photocopying, parent communication, student supervision (like breaking up fights during recess) and extra help. When teachers get home, they often have more preparation to do to ensure that their lessons are perfect so when their evaluations get published in Newsday, they can still have a job. That's of course after they help their own children with their homework, and pay their own Long Island taxes.
As far as making $100K/year...I know a local teacher in my family who has worked in the same district for almost 20 years and is still not up to the $100 grand that you figure... Bottom line here...where were you on career day? If you think teachers have it so easy, why didn't you become one? I can answer for myself...when I see all the lack of parenting out there and children raised with no respect for teachers, you couldn't pay me enough money to be locked in a school all day with them!
GUY SPARROW April 5, 2012 at 01:49 pm
$34,782,192.00 that is a alot of money to just be categorized as "other"
taxpayer April 5, 2012 at 02:46 pm
NO
taxpayer April 5, 2012 at 02:51 pm
Hey John the little one your walking will never be able to live here in 10 to 15 years when your school taxes only will be 10,000 a year.... plus county taxes... all i am saying is you cant keep going to the taxpayers for money ever year....
taxpayer April 5, 2012 at 02:52 pm
hey little jeffrey.... stop crying..... you are so narrow minded......... you have no clue...........
taxpayer April 5, 2012 at 02:55 pm
thanks liz for the comment.....for someone who not a teacher you.. know alot about what they are doing..thniks that make you go hmmmmm....
taxpayer April 5, 2012 at 02:59 pm
and liz check the contract online they work 4 periods a day 50 min 3hrs and 20 min of teaching.... thats it........its amazing... to me that nobody gets what the long term effects on all the taxpayers for pension and health care cost and salary increases.....have you seen the number of houses for sale in the local area because of this....
Jeffrey Lee April 5, 2012 at 04:20 pm
@ taxpayer now that you have mastered your problem with your caps lock button being stuck perhaps you can stop addressing me by the term "Little Jeffrey" I already told you that I am "vertically challanged" and that when "I was thinking about trying out for a scholarship" I did not make the basketball team. The coach who mocked my disability scarred me for life ! With that said remember Jeffrey actually means "Peace" look it up.....now think I'm going to go back to playing my real keyboard as in piano rather than this nonsense !
Elizabeth April 5, 2012 at 08:28 pm
Hey taxpayer, send me the link with that contract, my sister (not me) teaches on the high school level, and I've seen her contract myself...instead of blaming the people in the trenches with these kids, have you checked the salaries of the administrators who could go weeks without seeing a single child? Why don't you ask yourself why the Superintendent of F'dale Schools has changed the location of his office at least three times in the past few years, each time with new construction, furniture, carpeting, sheetrock, paint and labor. That's probably in the "OTHER" budget line...The teachers are forced to make due with what they have...they're currently working under a pay freeze, what about their bosses? But keep blaming the teachers...Hey...maybe you're one of the administrators!
GUY SPARROW April 5, 2012 at 09:27 pm
I read recently on the Fdale school dist website that for the Superintendent , the district pays $13,000 annually for tax sheltered annuity , $1100 annum for premium payments for disability insurance , 100% benefits paid for indivdual and family coverage health insurance in retirement , $6500 annum for a universal / whole life life insurance policy , a car allowance of $5000 per year , association membership dues of $2000 , pays all expenses for any proffesional conferences attended , amongst other things im sure. Not bad for an administrator making well over $250,000....
Jeffrey Lee April 5, 2012 at 09:31 pm
Nice..... who negotiated his contract that's a deal compared to other districts?
Central Administration salary and operating expense is worth every "Dollar and Five"
Helen April 5, 2012 at 11:58 pm
Hey - anyone on the quest for whether or not the budget info can be posted here? That would help so many people.....I really need to know that "other" line item - if I have to account in detail my expenses at the end of the year - so does the school - $35M is $35M.....
Helen April 6, 2012 at 12:02 am
When you got it good, you got it good - and the poor get poorer.....this whole education system needs to be revamped - hey Cuomo - since you're revamping the police dept. for the future - wanna take a long hard look at the teachers on LI?
Pam Robinson (Editor) April 6, 2012 at 12:48 am
I just uploaded a budget document from the school district site. I don't know if it will answer all your questions but it has more detail.
Nicole April 8, 2012 at 03:19 am
Middle school and high school teachers teach 5 periods a day, one period of supervision (study hall duty, lunch duty, hall duty), one period for lunch, one period for prep period and one professional period at which time the teacher is prepping for their next class, lessons and units, speaking with parents, fellow teachers, giving extra help, etc. bashing teachers is not the answer. the legislators that are handing down mandates that are unfunded are the problem.
Helen April 9, 2012 at 05:41 pm
Pam, sorry -- been away - will hop on over there.....thank you....

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Maggie June 12, 2013 at 11:06 am
Hate to sound like an old woman, but when it was Von Leeson's it was always a joy to be there. AllRead More the staff had been there for years and treated the customers like family. Food was consistently good and they never "ran out" of anything. This place shouldn't be open for business. The poor kid waiting on us last time had to come to me and tell me they had no dessert to have with coffee other than ice cream. We left him a nice tip and I told him to find a job somewhere else; he'd never make any money there. It's a great location. We just need some smart business people to run it!
alterego June 14, 2013 at 06:54 am
went there for breakfast the morning of the fair several weeks ago. First, how do you screw upRead More breakfast order? The young man server was doing his best, but still eggs, potatoes, and hash, no potatoes come, begged for coffee refills, ketchup was the very bottom of a heinz bottle. The excuse was sorry we have a new cook,..something tells me that aint the only problem, how does one screw up breakfast. Sorry wont be going back any time soon, unless I see a new mngment or new owner sign.
Vinny June 16, 2013 at 08:30 pm
. This place is just not good. There is nothing appealing about poor service and absolutely horribleRead More food. It should have stayed closed when it went out of business not long ago. I hope the employees can find another means .