Elementary School Budget Cuts: 2/6/24 Board of Education Meeting Recap

On Tuesday, February 6th, the Board of Education for the Long Beach School District held a meeting regarding the possible 4.3 million dollar budget cut and its impact on the elementary schools. Three options were presented as possible solutions to the budget changes and were met with a variety of responses. The second option, the closing of East Elementary School, was particularly unpopular among those in the audience. Many dressed in red to protest its possible closing, and around the room were posters expressing support for East School. The main presenter of this information was Michael DeVito, assistant superintendent of finance and operations. Also present were Board of Education president Dennis Ryan, vice president Sam Pinto, trustee Anne Conway, trustee Nora Bellesy, district clerk Lori Dolan, and superintendent Jennifer Gallagher. The meeting was held at Long Beach Middle School and had above-average attendance given the severity of the budget cuts and the contentious nature of the proposed solutions.

The first option presented was a recap of the original changes proposed during the January 16th meeting, prior to the news of the possible foundation aid cuts. This included closing the 3.8 million dollar gap between the current budget and the “rollover budget.” This initial option included reductions in certain areas to offset increasing prices in other areas such as health insurance premiums and ERS pension contributions. However, because of the additional 4.3 million dollar foundation aid reduction, this option will have to be enacted in addition to the second and third options outlined below.

The second option is to close East School and repurpose the building. However, what the building would be repurposed into remains unclear. The board claimed that Lindell and Lido could comfortably accommodate the students who would be displaced. This option would lead to the elimination of two current elementary assistant principals and the most recently hired teachers and staff across the district. Possible staff reductions may include classroom teachers, special area teachers, permanent substitute teachers, nurses, custodial staff, and clerical support. The estimated savings of closing East School are approximately 4 million dollars.

According to the board, one of the reasons they are considering repurposing East School is because of an enrollment decline. At the meeting, Mr. Devito elaborated on this issue stating, “This is a fact: there has been an enrollment decline over the past 15 years. We’re talking about 550 fewer elementary students than we had 15 years ago. That’s a school and a half; that’s why we’re considering repurposing an elementary school because there’s a real enrollment decline.”

The board expects that this decline will persist. In Long Beach, there is currently a lot of construction, specifically with the new apartment complex. However, the board is expecting that this new construction will not attract families that have school-age children. Mr. Devito explained that there have been studies done that show that due to the price and demographic that the new construction is appealing to, the people moving in are most likely going to be younger, single, or newly married. With the help of the developers the board has met with, Mr. Devito predicted maybe a handful of students, but not a significant amount, are expected to come to the Long Beach school district with this new construction.

The studies that Mr. Devito mentioned caused some questions among community members who attended the meeting. Community member Heather Locasio expressed confusion toward these studies, the new construction, and other points made in the presentation. Many others were confused about how these studies were conducted. They also brought up the question: what is going to happen when these younger newlyweds eventually do have babies? Another point was brought up during their time, which was that enrollment rates are never only going to drop or increase. There will be times when they fluctuate.

During the open forum, many community members expressed their concerns about further interruptions in students’ education, especially after COVID-19. Parents of East School students urged the board to keep East open so that their kids could avoid inconsistency in their education. East School mom, Danielle Ferrara said “You would be talking about impacting the children that were affected by Covid…it just doesn’t make sense.” Many other parents took a stand and described the emotional effects the closing of East School would have on their children. Joanne Kapp, the Vice President of funding for the East School PTA, shared, “Our kids are scared, they’re upset, and we are devastated. The damage has already begun.” Many parents also questioned how the board had not seen these budget cuts coming, what exactly the East School building would be transformed into, and why there was a lack of numerical specificity in the meeting’s presentation.

The third option was to keep East School open but to reduce programs across the elementary schools. This choice would reduce one Academic Intervention Service (AIS) teacher in all four elementary schools, eliminate Mindfulness as a special area class, and eliminate Spanish as a special area class for grades 3-5. Additionally, STEM as a special area class for grades K-2, the LARC program, funded field trips, and Odyssey of the Mind trips to state, regional, and world competitions would be eliminated. Administrative reductions districtwide would occur and ~2,000,000 dollars in teacher reductions would be implemented. This option would also reduce programs in the middle school and high school.

During the meeting, both parents and board members urged the audience to take action through phone calls and letters to Governor Kathy Hochul. Mr. Pinto, the Vice President of the BOE, urged “Keep fighting to get funding back from Albany.” As members of the community expressed their thoughts during the open forum, some shared Kathy Hochul’s office number and encouraged people to call as much as possible. Some parents even expressed a desire to go to Albany and protest the cuts in person.

But what exactly is Kathy Hochul proposing? Her new budget actually adds 285 million dollars to overall education spending. However, her proposed numbers slash foundation aid for some districts, ending the long-standing “hold harmless” policy which ensures that districts don’t have a decrease in funding. Foundation aid was introduced to New York State in 2006 and provides public schools with money using a formula that takes into account the overall income of the community, property value, and enrollment. The end of the hold harmless policy is what has led to the drastic cuts in the aid Long Beach School District is receiving from the state.

One Long Beach Resident, Joe Simona, a real estate agent, mentioned his idea for an alumni foundation. When Simona ran for the school board in 96’ and 98 he proposed the idea. The alumni’s foundation would have included a “rainy day fund.” Simona explained that this (the budget cut) is a rainy day. Simona claimed that if the board implemented his rainy day fund idea the district would have an excess of about $100 million, which would be more than enough for the issue at hand. Whether or not this could be established currently was not discussed by the board.

The February 6th Board of Education meeting was full of proposed solutions, opinions, and calls to action. The next Board of Education meeting will be held on February 27. At the meeting, the board and community will discuss potential cuts to the secondary schools’ budget. All community members are welcome and encouraged to attend.