Farmingdale BOE Announces Proposed 2014-15 School Budget

The Farmingdale School District presented its 2014-15 proposed budget to the community at the Board of Education’s first budget workshop last week.  

The district’s proposed budget stays within the tax levy limit of 1.81 percent, which was calculated with the formula provided by New York State. District administration and board trustees say the proposed budget was drafted to meet the community’s expectations, including maintaining most of the academic and extracurricular programs. 

“The Farmingdale School District carefully crafted a comprehensive budget in order to maintain the high-level resources that our students need to succeed in and out of the classroom,” said Paul Defendini, Farmingdale School District assistant superintendent for business, in a statement. 

“It is extremely important for our community to continue to be involved throughout this process because it is our goal to continue to provide our community with the academic and programmatic excellence that they deserve and have come to expect from our district,” he added.

The budget presentation included a detailed explanation of the property tax cap, the revenue needed to support District programs, services and facilities, how state aid is allocated and distributed, as well as the purpose of fund balances and reserves. Administration officials also reviewed proposed legislation recommended by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and its potential impact on future district budgets.

The Farmingdale School District encourages community members to become involved in the issues that affect its schools.  The next budget workshops will take place on March 19 and March 26 at Howitt Middle School beginning at 8p.m.  For more information, visit the District’s website atwww.farmingdaleschools.org.

The District reminds residents to vote on the 2014-2015 proposed budget on Tuesday, May 20, 2014 at the Howitt Middle School gymnasium from 6:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.