Sag Harbor Will Be Under Tax Cap For 11th Straight Year; Nichols Addresses Uptick In COVID Cases

At the latest Sag Harbor Board of Education meeting on May 9, School Business Administrator Jennifer Buscemi presented the final budget presentation of a modest spending plan that will not pierce the tax cap.

The budget of $45,993,327 represents a 2.5 percent increase over the current budget, with a projected tax levy increase of 2.5 percent. The district is under the levy limit by $94,435.

The district will remain under the tax levy cap for the 11th straight year, while preserving all programs and making continued investment in instructional technology and equipment.

Buscemi shared, as she had during earlier budget presentations, that the district benefited from a 9.4 percent increase in state aid funding this year, with a large portion earmarked for the district’s free, full-day universal prekindergarten program, which will be offered to students at the Sag Harbor Learning Center for the second straight year this fall. Another revenue source that has increased significantly is non-resident tuition. The district originally budgeted $1 million in that category, and has increased that projection to $1.5 million for next year.

Buscemi also pointed out that the impact to taxpayers of the budget was small, with a increase of $8 monthly for the median home value in Southampton Town, and a little over $8.50 monthly for the median home value in East Hampton Town. Those numbers assume no change in assessed values.

When voters head to the polls this Tuesday, May 17, they will also be asked to vote yes or no on proposition No. 2, which seeks to use $2.5 million from the Facilities Improvement Capital Reserve Fund (established following a 2021 proposition) to help fund HVAC unit ventilator upgrades at the Sag Harbor Elementary School and Pierson Middle High School. The use of those funds will have no impact on the budget or tax levy. An additional $700,000 in grant funds will cover the remaining cost of what will be a two-phase project.

Superintendent Jeff Nichols spoke about a recent uptick in COVID cases in the area, and the approach the district is taking regarding that uptick. He shared that, since his last COVID update on April 9, the test positive rate in Suffolk County has nearly tripled, but pointed out that while cases have been on the rise, there has not been a proportionate rise in hospitalizations, due to an increase level of immunity in the community from both vaccinations and prior infections. Nichols recognized that fact as significant.

“It’s different,” he said. “How our country and world is reacting and how our community is reacting is probably going to be different as well.”

Nichols went on to explain that being designated as low or medium risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention means there isn’t much in the way of recommendations regarding mitigation strategies. A return to the high risk category — which was expected, although Suffolk County was still in the medium category as of May 10 — carries with it a recommendation to return to masking in indoor spaces, although Nichols pointed out that it’s a recommendation, not a mandate.

He said that if and when the county moves into the high risk designation, “We will have to sit down and discuss what to do with CDC recommendations and whether or not we think it’s prudent to revisit mitigation measures that we’ve used previously,” but he said it was still somewhat premature to have that discussion.

Nichols offered a brief update on the status of the capital improvement project at Mashashimuet Park, saying that the district architect, H2M, is getting closer to submitting construction documents to the DEC for review.

He also pointed out that the district will soon be posting a job opening for an assistant school business administrator. The person who held that role previously left in August of last year, and the position was not filled right away because the administration had decided, along with Buscemi, that the work inherent in that role could be handled by an accountant. Upon further determination, and with extra work on the table because of the park project, and the HVAC unit upgrades and masonry upgrade projects, it was determined it would be prudent to find someone for that position.

Board Vice President Sandi Kruel pointed out that the money to pay that salary remained in the budget and is still there, meaning it will not cost the district any additional funds.