Shelter Island Voters to Decide Revised School Budget on June 17 

Shelter Island’s education budget will return to voters on June 17 after an initial proposal was shot down at the polls, marking it as one of two Long Island districts whose budgets failed to pass.

The original plan would have increased the school’s 2025/26 operating budget by 7%, piercing the state-mandated property tax cap by half a million dollars.

“Obviously, last Tuesday night’s result was not what we’d hoped for,” said Doelger, the school’s superintendent during a presentation on May 28. “Last week, the administration team met with the Board of Education to come up with a plan.”

The best option, they agreed, was to request an operating budget less than the tax cap. The alternative — proposing a budget above the tax cap — risked triggering a contingency budget if it failed to garner the necessary votes.

“It’s not worth the risk to our students. No one at the school is willing to take that gamble,” said Kathleen Lynch, the school board’s president.

For the board, the choice was clear: the pursuit of a new, below-the-cap budget was officially approved on Monday. The new plan carefully scales back the initial proposal.

Indeed, board members expressed their commitment to impact as few of the school’s 176 students as possible with the reductions.

“For example, we’ll greatly reduce the amount of professional development for staff versus getting rid of sports or clubs,” said Doelger.

Even so, cuts will be made across the board if the new budget passes. Special education and social work initiatives will operate with decreased funding, multiple staff members will see their hours cut and Shelter Island’s Pre-K program will be scrapped entirely.

The proposal also includes an estimated 50% cut to field trips, though board members did not discount the possibility of external funding.

“We’re hopeful that outreach to some outside organizations will help bring as much back as possible,” said Lynch.

The largest cut – $150,000 – will come from busing following an intermunicipal agreement between Shelter Island and East Hampton UFSD establishing a shared-transportation program in the upcoming academic year.

Despite concerns from parents, no cuts will be made to cafeteria funding.

“There’s a big population here that’s getting two hot meals and it’s a pretty big deal in their lives,” said Lynch.

The last time the school exceeded the tax cap — in 2016 — the budget passed. Lynch expected the initial 25/26 budget proposal, which fell 40 votes short of approval at the polls, to function similarly.

“It was a long-term plan and now we are back to a short-term plan.”

School board member Anthony Rando said that he understands why constituents voted no on the initial proposal.

“The last year or so, the burden on the taxpayer has gone through the roof, whether it be the remodeling of the library or the request of extra funds to upgrade a museum within the town, it’s one thing after another,” he said.  “I believe that many of the taxpayers use that frustration that they have on election day here against our students.”

While the first step is to ensure the votes necessary to pass the new proposal, Rando stated that district members ought to prepare for some important conversations.

“We need to do some long-term planning to make sure that in the future, the school and the community come together to make sure we offer our students the best education possible without reducing any of our standards,” he said.

On June 17, between noon and 9 p.m., Shelter Island voters will cast ballots on the new budget.