East Hampton School District administrators and board members continued poring over their proposed 2020-21 spending plan on Tuesday, deciding to add some new, one-time expenses for the middle school.
According to documents handed out during the budget workshop, the principals and teachers have everything budgeted down to the exact dollar — from field trips and textbooks to stickers and ink pads. Teacher and staff member salaries are not included in these parts of the budget.
Charles Soriano, the East Hampton Middle School principal, reviewed his school’s spending plan of $132,839 and concluded, “We’re pretty much flat.”
He requested four new items based on the suggestions of the middle school faculty members. The science teachers requested $2,800 for four copies of a program called “Gizmos,” a simulator that presents challenges in different areas of science. The teachers tested them out this year and found they were successful, Mr. Soriano said.
Heather Evans, the head of the unified arts and technology department, requested $1,200, including $700 to repair the classroom’s kiln and $500 to do a safety check and routine maintenance of the equipment in the technology lab. Christina DeSanti, the school board vice president, called that item “a no-brainer.”
Troy Grindle requested $10,145 for new risers for the music program, to be used in the middle school auditorium. Mr. Soriano called the risers a safety issue. “We’re getting to the point where some of these things are beyond their lifetimes and it’s time to replace them,” he said. The math teachers requested $2,400 for multitouch digitizers that allow them to project calculations onto their smartboards.
After the board members gave their informal approval to include those items in the middle school budget, at a total of $16,545, Mr. Soriano thanked them. “The staff will be really happy, because this is stuff that will impact kids,” he said. The additional costs will be partially offset by decreases in other areas. For instance, Mr. Soriano said, the school spent almost $6,000 on a new piano last year, but doesn’t need to buy one this year.
Beth Doyle, the principal at the John M. Marshall Elementary School, presented a budget with a few increases. She requested $14,000 for a color photocopying machine, which she pledged would be used in moderation. She also requested $8,200 to add another school play into the budget.
Richard Burns, the district superintendent, agreed with adding a second play. “It allows no cuts. Everybody who wanted to participate could participate,” he said.
Over all, the elementary school spending plan shows a 21-percent increase over the current year, a difference of about $31,000, up to a total of $178,607.
The school board also received word on Tuesday from Cindy Allentuck, who oversees special education, that there would be a decrease in the special education budget for the first time in many years. Expenses are projected to go down by 5.1 percent, a difference of about $111,000, to $2.06 million.
Ms. Allentuck explained that some students with severe disabilities had either graduated or moved out of the district, but she still left some room in the budget proposal in case new students are placed into the special education program.
“I don’t like to call it wiggle room or extra. We always have things change,” she said. “It’s not about money — it’s about what students need.”