Bridgehampton School Budget Will Stay Under Cap, Preserve All Programs and Staff

The Bridgehampton School Board adopted the budget for the 2024-25 school year at the last Board of Education meeting on Wednesday, April 17.

Like all school districts in the area, Bridgehampton has faced the headwinds that have come with continued inflation and a spike in health insurance premiums, but unlike some other districts in the county, it managed to stay within the state mandated cap on tax levy increases.

The $22,554,442 budget — which brought the district right up to but not over the tax cap — represents a 3.6 percent budget-to-budget increase and a 3.34 percent tax levy increase.

Superintendent Dr. Mary T. Kelly said earlier this week that while it was a challenging budget season, the district managed to not only retain all its programming, but also expand educational opportunities in some instances.

“We don’t have to pierce the cap, but we did appropriate some money from reserves and fund balance,” she said, adding that has been typical of the last few years. She pointed out that the district is appropriating the same amount — $530,920 from reserves and $800,000 from fund balance — as it did last year.

Bridgehampton will not make any staffing cuts this year, Kelly said, and while the district is not increasing staffing, it’s found a way to expand educational opportunities for students. Next year, the district will offer four additional Advanced Placement courses, including French, Spanish, psychology and research, while also adding four dual enrollment courses, which provide opportunities for students to earn college credit while they’re still in high school. The district will also add pre-AP social studies and pre-AP English.

Kelly said the district will use existing staff members to provide those classes, but she did admit that the trend of using money from reserves and fund balance to stay under the tax cap is not a long-term solution.

“Our financial picture is healthy, but we’re going to have to look at other efficiencies moving beyond the 2024-25 school year to maintain a budget that’s within the cap,” she said.

She spoke more about some of the measures the district has already taken to stay on solid ground, and what it will continue to prioritize going forward.

“We did offer retirement incentives last year, so that helped,” she said. “We are restructuring positions where if we didn’t need to replace them, we didn’t. Those kinds of efficiencies and right-sizing we use to be the most efficient in the use of district resources while still providing an excellent educational experience and meeting all the needs of our students in terms of academics, social and emotional needs and their overall well-being.

“It’s a balancing act,” she added. “And we’re very confident that this is a fiscally responsible budget that does meet and exceed needs for students while being mindful of our responsibilities to the taxpayers.”

A budget hearing is set for the next Board of Education meeting on May 8 at 6 p.m., and the budget vote and school board elections are set for May 21.