Bridge Faces Jaw-Dropping Transport Costs
The Bridgehampton School District is facing about a 55-percent jump in transportation costs for the 2016-17 school year, while also facing contractual increases for teacher salaries, health care, and pensions. At its meeting on Jan. 27, the school board heard the news and pledged to think creatively and ask the community for suggestions on how to get around such a big increase for busing.
Bridgehampton has projected the cost of transportation to be $718,123 next year, up from $455,847. The figure excludes the cost of buses the district obtains through the Board of Cooperative Educational Services, which is also scheduled to go up, from $52,500 to $67,500.
“These numbers are so insane,” Doug DeGroot, a school board member, said. “How is it not possible to get a better way to do it?”
Robert Hauser, the district business administrator, said that when the district uses private contractors, each bus costs about $60,000. In addition to BOCES buses, the district contracts with the McCoy Bus Company of Bridgehampton and the East Hampton and Sag Harbor School Districts.
“It could be one student on the bus or several,” Mr. Hauser said. “We try to exhaust our options with Sag Harbor, then we try East Hampton. If we can’t contract with one of the local districts, we go to the local contractor.”
The cost of transportation for a student who recently moved into the district and who is deemed to have special needs creates an unusual situation. It was agreed the student could, as before, continue attending the Springs School. As a result, it would cost Bridgehampton about $240,000 in tuition and transportation for the 2016-17 school year. Mr. Hauser said the arrangement has the district’s budget advisory committee considering transportation alternatives, including the purchase of the district’s own buses. Mr. DeGroot objected to that idea while other school board members said it should be explored.
Unlike most school districts, Bridgehampton, which successfully pierced the 2014-15 tax cap, will be able to raise its property tax levy by about 3 percent. The actual increase for each district is based on a number of factors. In Bridgehampton’s case, the increase is higher than the .12 percent the state allows because of certain exemptions and the tax base’s growth, which is the result of new construction and increasing property values in Southampton Town.
As a result, the 3-percent tax cap for Bridgehampton is expected to be one of the highest on Long Island. In dollars, that means the district can increase its tax levy by about $320,000. But the first draft of next year’s budget came to about $1.45 million, which was about 11.3 percent higher than this year’s $12.8 million budget.
“The number we come to, as we discuss it more, should come down,” Mr. Hauser said.
The increases in teacher salaries are due to a .5-percent raise negotiated with the Bridgehampton Teachers Association, along with contractual increases teachers earn for extra training and course work. A 14.4-percent jump in contributions to the New York State teachers retirement system and a 25.6-percent increase in health care costs are also anticipated. However, the district is expecting a small decrease in the state employees’ retirement system, for staff members who are not teachers, and is also expecting to spend less on after-school activities and legal expenses.
“This is our first preliminary budget. We have made literally no cuts to it,” Lois Favre, Bridgehampton’s superintendent, said during the meeting. “It’s just a ‘rollover’ and things we know we need. We’ll bring in budget advisory committee suggestions. We also will have a community forum to gather ideas, as we always do annually.”
That forum is set for March 9, although it may be scheduled earlier.