South Country Makes Second 2023-24 Budget Presentation To School Board

Press release from the South Country Central School District:

Feb. 16, 2023

South Country Central School District Superintendent of Schools Antonio Santana delivered a second presentation regarding the 2023-24 school budget to the school board during a meeting on Feb. 1.

Santana’s presentation was developed in conjunction with Jennifer Segui, the district’s assistant superintendent for finance and management services, and included information on the New York State tax cap and the district’s revenues.

Santana provided information on the role of the tax cap in the budget process, the difference between the tax cap and the tax levy, and shared how both are calculated.

Additionally, he recommended that the board of education consider approving a $1 million interfund transfer to capital. A transfer to capital is a budgeting tool that allows the district to make improvements to its facilities on an ongoing basis and also garner building state aid.
Santana rounded out the presentation by speaking about revenues that the district uses to offset the budget, including property taxes, state aid and its appropriated fund balance.

The presentation was the second in a series of upcoming budget workshops. The first presentation was held on Jan. 24 and reviewed the resources used to build the budget, including external and internal auditors, financial advisors, stakeholder input, experienced business officials and discussions with knowledgeable superintendents.

Four additional presentations are scheduled prior to the April 19 board of education budget adoption. All presentations are held at 7:30 p.m. in the district office and are livestreamed on the district’s YouTube channel.

The upcoming budget presentations are as follows:
Feb. 15 – Specific Budget Lines
March 8 – Curriculum and Instruction
March 22 – Staffing Analysis
April 5 – Expenses and Review Update

To view the Feb. 1 budget presentation, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrIeIGd1oG8&t=5347s. For more information on the 2023-24 budget, visit https://www.southcountry.org/board_of_education/budget_vote.

The budget vote and trustee election will be held on Tuesday, May 16, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., at Bellport Middle School.

This press release was produced by the South Country Central School District. The views expressed here are the author's own.