The PTA Council budget committee is comprised of PTA members who meet to discuss district wide budget issues. We aim to be the voice of the community. Budget concerns should be directed to each unit’s budget representative who will bring these concerns to the council budget meetings for discussion. The budget committee will try to educate the community at monthly PTA meetings by discussing various factors that decide school budget spending. After soliciting community input we make a presentation detailing the recommendations to the school board before they begin the budget workshops. Budget questions can also be emailed commackPTAcouncil@yahoo.com. Please put “budget” in the subject line.

PTA Council Presentation to the School Board-4/10/2008 

The committee would like to thank the school board and administration for the opportunity to discuss concerns brought to us by parents. We’d also like to thank you for supporting our continuing efforts to educate the community about the budget process. We would appreciate the board keeping the following in mind when considering the proposed budget:

1- There is growing concern at the middle school level that students are being closed out of sports and clubs. With projections for continuing growth at CMS funds need to be allocated to provide opportunities for as many children as possible to participate in extracurricular activities. We feel this is an important piece of their social and emotional development.

2- We again ask administration to seek methods that would increase our teachers’ instructional time. This is a concern parents feel quite strongly about and we ask that you revisit possible alternatives. Whether for test grading or staff development, teachers are missing too much instructional time and it is hurting our children.

3- While we acknowledge our quality teaching staff we remind you of community concerns. Recognizing the fact that negotiations are ongoing and that salaries are the largest part of the budget, we have been asked by the community to respectfully request that every option be explored so we can remain cost effective.

4- The safety of our children while they are at school is a primary concern for parents. This is a very large district and we should be able to account for the whereabouts of our children at anytime, before or after school, especially with the technology available today.

5-While we appreciate the district’s drive for excellence we’d like to point out that parents at all levels have spoken out about the academic demands placed on their children. Parents can no longer afford private tutors and are seeking more support from the district.

6- The committee is asking administration to advise staff to be mindful of these ‘tighter’ financial times when asking parents to make school purchases.

7- We again support the districts efforts to go paperless and would like to see an increase in technology use at all levels.

8- We ask that class size be maintained.

            In closing, we’d like to thank Dr. Feltman and Mrs. Newman for all of their help and support throughout the year. They are always available to the committee and willing to hear the concerns brought to the budget meetings.

            We appreciate your consideration of our suggestions and know every effort will be made to ensure that the final budget is one the community can support.

Budget Report #1

The PTA Council budget committee is comprised of PTA members who meet to discuss district wide budget issues. We aim to be the voice of the community. Budget concerns should be directed to each unit’s budget representative who will bring these concerns to council budget meetings for discussion. The budget rep(s) for our school is (are) _______________________    . Budget questions can also be emailed @ commackPTAcouncil@yahoo.com. Please put “budget” in the subject line.

PTA Council will host a presentation by Sen. Flanagan on Nov. 7^th at 7:30 at the HUBBS Administration Center. The Senator will discuss the upcoming state budget forecast. Please make every effort to attend this important meeting.

Budget Report #2 (November 2007) 

Every year community members ask how their tax dollars are spent. For every dollar spent:

• 54% is salaries

• 19% is benefits

• 18% is purchased services and transportation costs

• 6% is debt service

• 2% is equipment

• Approximately 70% of the budget is predetermined by state mandates while only 19% of the budget comes from state aid.

Budget Report #3 (January 2008) 

In light of the projected state school budget cuts, the PTA Council budget committee has prepared a letter to the Governor. The letter discusses the impact these cuts will have on our community and our children. We are asking the community to either use these letters as a template to write their own letter, or simply sign and mail this letter. Please pass the letter on to your neighbors and friends. Copies are available to download from the website.
 

Budget Report #4 (February 2008) 

Governor Spitzer released his preliminary budget on January 23rd. Commack is slated to receive an increase of approximately 2.97%. While this number is better than expected, the Governor has also proposed cuts in BOCES Aid and High Tax Aid. These cuts could be devastating to all districts on Long Island. We are hoping to persuade the Governor to reverse his proposed cuts and increase aid to Long Island. The committee is urging community members to send letters to the Governor asking for our fair share of aid. The letters are available online or from your budget reps.

In the coming weeks, a NEW letter campaign will begin in response to the specific areas of the Governor’s proposal that do not meet the needs of Commack schools. 

The budget workshops are beginning on March 6th. The proposed school budget is presented and reviewed, line by line, at the workshops. These workshops are open to the public and community members are encouraged to attend. Your questions and input are also encouraged.

Budget Report #5 (March 2008)

Our letter writing campaign will continue until the Governor releases his final budget. Many other local districts have also begun their own letter writing campaigns in an effort to pressure the Governor to give LI our fair share of state aid. Our Long Island Senators held a budget rally on March 1st at Farmingdale High School asking for our fair share of aid. Long Island makes up 17% of the students but we’re only receiving 8% of the state aid. The first budget workshop will be on Thursday, March 6th at Hubbs at 8:30 pm. At the workshop the proposed budget is presented and discussed. The community is invited to come to the workshops and ask questions. You can contact your budget rep with any concerns you may have regarding the upcoming budget.