Hauppauge Voters to Cast Ballots on $98M Budget

Hauppauge school district taxpayers will be asked to cast their ballot on the district's proposed $98 million 2012-13 budget on Tuesday. 

The polls are open Tuesday from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. at , formerly Whiporwhil Elementary School. 

The proposed $98,646,111 budget represents a slightly more than 1.42 percent budget-to-budget increase over the current year, or a $1.4 million spending increase. 

Under the proposed budget, the district would hire approximately seven new teachers:  5 full-time special education teachers for its integrated co-teaching model in the elementary schools, a full-time teacher for its Languages Other Than English program and a full-time Literacy Collaborative support person to support reading instruction. In exchange, the district will be laying off 16 teaching assistants. The budget also include funds to purchase two minibuses and a maintenance van to replace the district's aging transportation fleet. 

For more specific details on the proposed budget, read

The proposed budget stays under New York State's tax cap and will require a simple majority to pass. 

For those interested, here's . 

There has been some controversy over next year's f and Bretton Woods Elementary Schools. Superintendent Patricia Sullivan-Kriss suggested reassigning a kindergarten teaching position from Forest Brook to teach fifth-grade at the Pines, to keep class sizes within contractual limitations of 30 per section using additional unexpected $90,000 in state aid. 

However, Forest Brook parents attended several board meetings asking the superintendent to into more sections due to problems they are experiencing. Sullivan-Kriss would not, saying they were within contractual limits, but she would continue to monitor the situation. 

Voters will also be asked to cast their ballot on a separate proposition to heating and air condition unit replacements at and , similar to work completed at Bretton Woods. It will not require a separate bond or raise taxes, being paid through funds put aside by the district. 

There are two seats up for re-election on Hauppauge's Board of Education. Incumbent Vice President Eileen Mass and Ann Macaluso, former board presidents, were the only candidates to file to run. 

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