Seaford School District Still Looking at Deep Cuts Despite State Aid Boost

The Seaford School District received a small boost in New York State's final enacted 2013/14 budget approved last week, but is still looking at a large shortfall for its own spending plan.

Seaford Superintendent Brian Conboy said during Tuesday night's school board meeting that the district received around $500,000 in additional aid than was previously not included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's executive budget released in January. Conboy explained however that the help from Albany is still 2 percent below last year's state aid for Seaford and a result, around $1 million in cuts will be needed in order to comply with new tax cap rules. The district was previously looking at a $1.5 million budget gap before final state aid figures came in from Albany to get down to its maximum tax levy increase allowance of 3.56 percent.

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"There are no easy decisions to be made here when you are an underfunded district," said Conboy during Tuesday's board of education meeting held at Seaford Manor School. 

One possible avenue to get to its necessary reduction of $1 million discussed during Tuesday night's meeting is dropping to eight period day at Seaford Middle School and reducing to a half-day kindergarten program. School board members asked the administration for specified numbers on what positions would be slashed in an eight period middle school schedule and half-day kindergarten program prior to the next budget discussion scheduled for Thursday night. 

The Seaford school board is targeting April 11 as a deadline for adopting a 2013/14 budget proposal. The budget vote is scheduled for May 21. 

Related-

• Board Looking at Cutting Seaford Middle School Athletics From Budget
• School Budget Crunching Continues
• Seaford Considers Eight Period Schedule for 2013/14 Budget
• Seaford Facing 3.56 Percent Allowable Tax Levy Increase
• Cuts to 'High Tax Aid' Hit Local School Districts Hard
• Seaford School Officials Begin Laying Groundwork for 2013/14 Budget