Amityville schools to receive $2 million from new state budget to help reduce budget deficit, save jobs

News 12 has learned some money is going to save Northeast Elementary School in Amityville, which houses the district’s universal pre-K program.

The $2 million from the $237 billion state budget being allocated to Amityville Union Free School District could help reduce the deficit by nearly 50%. It will also save the jobs of 32 teachers.

The district approved 47 staff member layoffs, according to Assembly Member Kimberly Jean-Pierre. The district credits Jean-Pierre for securing the funding.

Jean-Pierre wrote in a statement, “This was not just a budgetary line item; it was about the heart of a community and the future of our children."

The district will also receive nearly $30 million in foundation aid next year - more than a quarter-million dollars more than last year.

Statement from Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Gina Talbert: As part of the additional $2 million in state funding, the district will no longer have to close Northeast Elementary School. Therefore, most teachers and staff who would have originally been laid off will no longer lose their jobs. The additional state funding greatly reduced the district’s budget deficit by nearly half from the $4.6 million dollar variance. However, the district still needs to make cuts to close the gap, likely including some staff layoffs. That said, the number of layoffs will be drastically less than the original 47 positions once projected.

Until the final budget is adopted, the number of layoffs remains under consideration.

The district is still in the process of reviewing and evaluating the budget and will meet with the Board tomorrow night to assess and consider various options to close the budget gap before adopting the 2024-2025 budget.