Shelter Island School District Passes Budget in Special Election

Voters approved the Shelter Island School District’s revised budget following a special election on June 17 after securing a mandate from 502 voters of the 627 who cast a ballot.

The decision follows a stunning rejection of the initial budget proposal that pierced the tax cap by $500,000 and fell 40 votes short of approval last month. Had the budget failed to pass a second time, Shelter Island School would be forced to function on a contingency budget for the upcoming academic year.

“The school district was very pleased with the outcome of the budget revote,” said Shelter Island School Superintendent Dr. Brian Doegler. “While the results were positive, they aligned with our expectations, as our tax cap-compliant budgets typically receive approximately 80% voter approval.”

To ensure the revised operating budget sank below the tax cap, the school pursued a glut of cost-saving measures including cuts to special education, social work and field trips. The school’s Pre-K program will be scrapped altogether.

Additionally, the school will save $150,000 after agreeing on an inter-municipal, joint busing program with East Hampton UFSD for the upcoming school year.

The working principle behind the cuts was to impact as few of the school’s 176 students as possible.

“The Board of Education will continue to engage with the community to determine the most effective path forward,” said Doegler when asked whether the school would consider piercing the tax cap once more to salvage the programs affected by the reduced budget.