Levittown BOE Discusses Capital Portion of Proposed Budget

The Levittown Board of Education gave their third budget presentation on Wednesday night, a meeting which covered the capital component of the proposed budget, which covers buildings, grounds and maintenance. 

The capital component amounts to $17.235 million or 9 percent of the total budget. Of that $17.235 million, buildings and grounds makes up $11.658 million, with serial bonds at $3.175 million, maintenance of $1.959 million and the purchase of four school buses at $442,000. 

Buildings and grounds has increased from 2012-13 from an increase in salaries due to contractual obligations, the board said. The board is also proposing $781,000 in equipment purchases, including a bucket truck, two work vehicles, classroom furniture and two generators, one each for Division and MacArthur High School. 

Other proposed buildings and grounds costs include $333,333 for a renovation of the MacArthur HS track and $122,000 to replace Salk hallway tiles. 

The purchase of generators and school buses were just one subject of debate at the meeting. 

 “I don’t think it’s wise to buy the four buses,” said Board President Michael Pappas.

Related: Levittown BOE Presents Second Budget Draft

Pappas added that the schools might be better off if they held off and bought propane buses in three years, potentially qualifying for an energy efficiency grant. Or they could purchase regular used buses for much cheaper in a few years.  

“I just think, for $442,000, we can use the money more efficiently,” Pappas said. “We can put it to operations.”

The cost of two new generators for the high schools would run about $300,000 each, which was included in the proposed budget during Hurricane Sandy.

“Can we truly recommend spending $600K on a potential problem?” one board member said.

“I guess it was just so fresh in everyone’s mind that we put it in and said, ‘you know what, we’ll put it here and we’ll still see later on if it’s still something we want to move forward with," said Superintendent of Schools, Dr. James Grossane.

The tax levy and tax rate projections, as well as a budget recap and an adoption of the budget will be on the agenda at the fourth budget presentation and first budget hearing, to be held Wednesday, April 17 at 7:30 p.m. at Levittown Memorial. 

Stay with Patch for an update on school state aid and for more coverage on the school budget.