What a difference two weeks makes.
At the Board of Education meeting on January 10, Sag Harbor Superintendent of Schools Jeff Nichols was feeling the pinch of omicron-fueled staffing shortages that, if they had gotten any worse, could have forced the district to return to the dark days of remote learning, at least temporarily. At that time, the COVID-19 test positivity rate was over 20 percent in Suffolk County, with the seven-day average tipping past 26 percent, and the country recording more than 3,800 cases in a single day on January 3.
He was able to breathe a big sigh of relief at Monday night’s board meeting, January 24, however, sharing that the district was in a much better position, thanks to the fact that the omicron surge had undoubtedly started a comforting downward trend. At the start of the week, there were just 788 positive cases, and the seven-day average had dipped to just over 12 percent. While those numbers are still not as low as people would like to see them, it showed that things are moving in the right direction.
“Following the holiday break, we were in a situation where we were close to having the kind of staffing shortages that might necessitate going remote,” Nichols said. “Thankfully, we got through that. We’re in a much different situation than we were in two or three weeks ago.”
That last sentiment turned out to be true in more ways than Nichols could have intended at that moment. Shortly after the meeting concluded, the news broke that State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Rademaker of Nassau County had issued a ruling that stated the statewide indoor mask mandate was “unconstitutional and unenforceable.” The ruling, as expected, was put on hold pending an appeal, but it prompted many districts in the area —including Sag Harbor — to send letters to parents early Tuesday morning making it clear that they’d continue to adhere to mask mandates.
Throughout the nearly two years that the pandemic has been a part of everyday life, districts have had to deal with the many ways it constantly and often unpredictably changes the landscape, for better or for worse. While the fact that the omicron surge seems to be following the same trajectory here that it has followed in other countries — a sharp rise followed by a sharp decline — is overall good news, it also means the district will have some important decisions to make in the coming days and weeks, Nichols said.
While current safety protocols in place for the school day are not likely to change any time soon — mask requirements, social distancing, etc. — Nichols said the district would have some decisions to make regarding field trips. He said it was unlikely that the district would allow a previously planned trip to Italy, slated for April, to proceed, but was considering allowing upcoming overnight trips for the robotics team — slated for March — to get the green light, if only in the interest of fairness when it comes to protocols for extracurricular clubs and teams.
“I have significant reservations, but having said that, we continue to allow athletes to participate in high-risk sports, and if any of those teams make it to states, we’d allow them to go,” he pointed out. “So in that light, I have to ask whether or not we’re applying the same lens to other co-curricular activities.”
Nichols said he hoped to have a decision on the robotics trip within the next two weeks.
School Business Administrator Jen Buscemi gave the first of what will be several presentations on the 2022-23 budget at Monday night’s meeting, and it was a bit of a mixed bag. She said the district is “feeling the effects” of the “Great Resignation,” adding that it has had an effect on the budget, along with the recent surge in inflation. She shared that salaries are projected to increase by 5 percent, while last year there was just a 1.25 percent bump in that area, and that the 5 percent increase was necessary to ensure that no staff or programs will need to be cut. She added that health insurance rates have also risen dramatically, leading to a health insurance budget increase of $290,000.
On the bright side, the district owes a lot less in debt than it did a few years ago, which means interest costs have gone down significantly, and she said that the district’s cash flow position has improved dramatically over the years.
The projected budget for the 2022-23 school year is $45,993,327, a budget-to-budget increase of 2.5 percent. The projected property tax levy limit is 2.75 percent, with a projected tax levy increase of 2.50 percent, compared to the current year budget, which had a property tax levy limit of 1.49 percent, and a budget-to-budget increase of just 1.22 percent.
At the next meeting on February 7, Buscemi will give a more detailed presentation related to how the district arrived at the 2.75 percent property tax levy limit, and will also discuss revenue projections, the technology budget, and the transportation budget.
The budget is scheduled to be adopted at the April 11 meeting, with the budget vote set for May 17.
Cailin Riley on Jan 26, 2022