Southold Town school districts are busy preparing for the 2024-2025 school year with budget season well underway. The numbers below are all subject to change until the respective boards of education adopt the final proposals next month.

MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE

Proposed budget: $45,345,397, a 3% increase from last year’s approved budget of $44,016,344.

The district’s proposed tax cap, 2.91%, sits well below the allowable tax cap of 3.02%.

A second proposition on the ballot is to take from the district’s capital reserve funds to fix the air conditioning on the second floor and the kindergarten wing of the Cutchogue East building. Included in that proposition is also fixing the fascia and the cupola at the high school. Taking from the capital reserve funds will not affect tax rates for residents, but voters must approve the expense before the district can use the funds. The district expects to have finalized numbers for this project by the end of this month and to include them in subsequent budget presentations, according to information presented March 7 by district superintendent Shawn Petretti.

“It’s the original 1934 woodwork,” Mr. Petretti said of the fascia and cupola at the latest board meeting. “It’s more putty than woodwork at this point in time and really does need to be replaced and now’s the time to do it.”

There will be three vacant seats on the ballot for Mattituck-Cutchogue’s seven-seat Board of Education. Board vice president Douglas Cooper’s term expires June 30, as do the terms of board members Jeffrey Connolly and Karen Letteriello. Nomination packets are due April 22 by 5 p.m. to the district clerk. They can be obtained by contacting the district clerk, Lisa Bieber.

The district will hold various meetings while they finalize a budget for the Board of Education to adopt. The next budget workshop is Thursday, March 21. They will hold meetings April 4 and 18. The board is slated to adopt the proposed budget on April 18. There will be a public hearing on the budget May 14, and the school budget vote will be Tuesday, May 21, from 3 to 9 p.m. at the Mattituck High School auditorium.

NEW SUFFOLK

New Suffolk district officials are preparing a budget proposal to present to the public April 9, following the school’s transition to non-instructional. There will be one seat up for grabs on the school board. Nomination packets are due to district clerk Jana Prindle by April 22 at 5 p.m.

Officials plan to present the final budget May 14. The vote takes place Tuesday, May 21, from 3 to 9 p.m. at New Suffolk School.

For more information, visit newsuffolkschool.com.

SOUTHOLD

Proposed budget: $34,646,616, a 4.46% increase from last year’s $33,168,000, according to a presentation made by district assistant superintendent for business Charles Sheid.

Mr. Sheid said that this number is a first draft as the district is anticipating some changes to be made to the budget.

“Our next budget meeting will definitely have final numbers for the board to adopt in April,” Mr. Sheid said.

The district has yet to propose the change in tax levy as per a presentation Mr. Sheid made March 6. He made it clear, however, that the district’s tax levy cap can go up 2.91%, or $30,283,909.

The Board of Education will have two seats up for grabs, those of board president Paulette Ofrias and vice president Dr. John Crean, whose terms expired. Nomination packets are due to district clerk Patti DiGregorio by April 22 at 5 p.m.

There will be a few more meetings and budget updates before the budget is adopted by the Board of Education later this spring. A scheduled meeting took place March 13. Meetings are scheduled for April 10 and 17, when the budget is expected to be adopted. There will be a final budget meeting May 8 before the vote on Tuesday, May 21, at Southold’s high school gym from 3 to 9 p.m.

For more information, visit southoldufsd.com.

GREENPORT

Proposed budget: $26,094,986, a 10% increase from last year’s approved budget of $23,709,875.

According to a presentation by Philip Kenter, the district’s proposed tax levy increase is estimated at 3.8%, compared to last year’s 6.5%.

There will be one vacant seat on Greenport’s Board of Education, a three-year term to succeed Kirsten Droskoski. Nominations are due to district clerk Sharleen Quartararo by April 22 at 5 p.m.

The next Board of Education meeting is March 19.

For more information, visit gufsd.org.

OYSTERPONDS

District officials are still putting together a budget proposal for public review. There will be two vacant seats on the seven-member Board of Education this year. The terms of board members Erin Johnson and Philip Mastrangelo both end on June 30. Nomination packets are due to district clerk Linda O’Leary by April 22 at 5 p.m.

The latest Board of Education meeting is set for March 12. There will be a budget workshop meeting on March 26 followed by a budget hearing on May 7 before the vote on May 21.

For more information, visit oysterponds.org.

The post North Fork schools prepare preliminary budgets appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced her plan to have “distraction-free” schools as part of the 2026 fiscal year executive budget recently. The policy outlines restricted use of smartphones and other internet-enabled devices on school grounds during school hours to reduce distractions in schools. 

The executive budget provides $13.5 million to aid in the implementation of this proposal for pouches, cubbies or other necessary infrastructure. 

More than 70% of teachers throughout the country say that cellphones pose a “major distraction” for students in the classroom, according to a Pew Research Center study. 

“We’re not developing the skills we need because kids are distracted with the cellphones,” Ms. Hochul said at a press conference Tuesday. She said teachers are competing with “viral dances … messages from their friends, sometimes threats [and] bullying” for students’ attention during class. 

Students, parents, teachers, administrators, advocates and local leaders met with Ms. Hochul to “devise a solution” to the “complicated challenge” that smartphones pose in schools. The policy, to be implemented by the start of the next school year, will require students to disconnect from their devices throughout the school day — including class time, at lunch and in the hallways.

Schools will have flexibility in implementing the policy next school year, she explained. Districts will have say over how they store the devices and how they will ensure compliance. 

Students who need devices for medical reasons, students who speak English as a second language and students with learning disabilities will be exceptions for the policy.

Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District superintendent Shawn Petretti believes the concept of a cellphone ban by the governor is “well intended” and that detaching students from cellphones during school hours creates a “productive and safe learning environment.” He feels that policy regarding the implementation of such a ban should be discussed at the local level.

“I think local boards of education should be the ones designing and implementing policies for their districts,” Mr. Petretti said.

The district implemented its own policy regarding the use of personal devices this year. At the elementary school level, students with personal devices should have them turned off and out of sight. At the junior high, students are not allowed to have phones out at any point during the school day. High school students can have phones throughout the day, but when they walk into a classroom, they are put in a designated spot for the duration of the class period.

Mr. Petretti said that the policy has been well received by the school community. “Students do appreciate the ability to disconnect from their phones and focus on their academics during school time,” he said.

While the current policy in the district has received positive feedback, Mr. Petretti said he doesn’t “necessarily agree with a full ban where the secondary students would have to surrender their phones for the full day.” 

In Greenport Union Free School District, students are allowed to have cellphones in school, with use allowed at teachers’ discretion. To minimize distractions, phones are required to be put away during class time unless permitted by the teacher. 

Interim superintendent Ryan Case added that the district recognizes the importance of communication between parents and their children, particularly in emergency situations. 

“If the state issues a directive requiring changes to cell phone policies, we will review the guidance and implement a new policy accordingly while maintaining a focus on our students’ learning environment,” Mr. Case said. 

Southold Union Free School District superintendent Anthony Mauro said the district is still reviewing the first draft of the state budget including the device-free schools proposal. He said the district will plan to carry out any new initiative once the final version of the state budget is released and requirements are outlined. 

“There is certainly merit to unplugging during the school day, but I also feel there is merit to teaching students how to appropriately utilize technology since it is such a big part of their lives,” Mr. Mauro noted. “Balance is the key to successfully integrating technology into our lives.”

In Oysterponds Union Free School District, superintendent Justin Cobis said the board of education has not had a policy regarding cellphone bans in its kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms, as phones never posed an issue there. 

“I always air on the side of local control, and I always would air on the side of local districts deciding what is best for their constituents,” Mr. Cobis said. “That being said, we would always move forward and be in compliance with state compliances issues such as this.”

In Riverhead Central School District, teachers and administrators are authorized to confiscate student cell phones that are being used in violation of the code of conduct. Teachers and administrators can request that phones not be permitted in class during the school day.

In a comment sent to The Suffolk Times, the district said it is in the process of revising its code of conduct to incorporate verbiage that will align with the governor’s proposed policy.

Students at Shoreham-Wading River High School must check in their personal devices when they enter each classroom to be retrieved after class. High school students are allowed to access their phones when they are not in an instructional period. 

For students in kindergarten through fifth grade, Shoreham-Wading River Central School District prohibits personal devices from being brought to school. For grades 6-8, any personal devices that are brought to school must be stored in student lockers during school hours. 

The current policy is one the district said was developed in collaboration with family, students and staff. Superintendent Gerard Poole said the policy “has successfully enhanced student engagement while reducing classroom distractions.”

“As New York State considers device-free legislation, our district hopes that the final policy will preserve local decision-making authority and continue to allow meaningful parent involvement in developing these plans,” Mr. Poole said.

The post Area districts react to Gov. Hochul’s school cellphone ban appeared first on The Suffolk Times.