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Smithtown Voters Pass $224M Budget

 Smithtown voters said yes to a $224.38 million school budget for the 2013-14 school year on Tuesday. The approved budget is an increase of $9.04 million over last year's budget. The 2013-2014 budget cuts include $783,000 in attrition and ret

6 Comments Recommend Jennifer Sloat (Editor)

P. J. Miller May 22, 2013 at 08:15 am
Yes, sad that it was a low turnout. I guess it wasn't that important for alot of us. I for oneRead More cannot keep writing bigger tax checks to live her..... one day all of us will have to move to survive - it's all for the kids! For many of us we will have to make a choice after we pay our bills what we do next, pay for our prescriptions or eat! Fixed income residents are a big percentage here and more should have come out and voted NO. Personally I think everyone was scared that there would be no one to babysit their kids after school - and if the vote was no that would means no after school programs, music, sports all things that are done after school after they are taught what the state required. The rest is all extra programs that we pay for. If you have alot of kids in school it's a bargain you can't get anyone to watch your kids until 5pm for this price.
robkoz May 22, 2013 at 07:05 am
Don't know what's more disturbing. The budget passed, 1000 more votes went to the board members orRead More out of 100,000 registered voters only 5000 voted.
robkoz May 22, 2013 at 06:53 am
@ EPG, just wait for Tim Bishop to post another blog. I'll be there.
swataz May 21, 2013 at 10:45 pm
4,852 people voted in a town made up of over 115,000? Way to show up at the polls. What a joke.
swataz May 21, 2013 at 09:04 pm
People of our community should be seriously concerned with the rise in taxes. It's sad that theRead More school districts go right for the jugular and take away kids' programs as the FIRST step when they have to reduce budget. It is a complete farce and done deliberately to get the knee-jerk reaction they want from parents. Sad, sad, sad.
greencap May 21, 2013 at 04:51 pm
Everyone who can vote please go down in local elections EVERY VOTE COUNTS. Seriously the differenceRead More could be a few votes. You better bet that all the people with kids in 5th grade orchestra etc are going to be down there voting for. Most of the increase is to fund pension benefits that are simply outrageous (every teacher that retireds gets their huge last year salary for life!)
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KFM May 21, 2013 at 04:17 pm
How, in a period of rapidly declining enrollment, can costs be increasing so much from year to year,Read More you ask? The answer is in front of you in black and white. I urge you to READ your district’s budget: we are funding retirements when many of us cannot afford to fund our own during difficult economic times. These wheels were set in motion by contracts negotiated in times of unrealistic growth that may likely not occur again. It is time to open up these plans and relieve this unfair burden from our shoulders. Whatever other measures are pursued in order to control costs, including consolidation within and eventually with other districts, are never going to be enough if you cannot get this problem corrected. Write your congressman, for the love of God. If you need any more incentive to do so, please go to http://rocdocs.democratandchronicle.com/database/teacher-pensions-new-york and look at what Smithtown’s retirees are collecting MONTHLY. It will sicken you.
KFM May 21, 2013 at 04:12 pm
They are allowed to exclude the pension and employee benefit increases when expressing the increase.Read More
Billie B May 20, 2013 at 10:17 am
Tomorrow is the vote..vote NO NOW or our taxes are going to continue to sky rocket. Unless we doRead More something this town will continue to spiral down. More taxes aren't going to help. We need to cut expenses and get ourselves on a fiscally responsible plan.