How Will You Vote on the HHH School Budget? [POLL]

Voters will decide on Tuesday to pass or defeat a proposed school buget of $221,918,299 for next year, which represents a over the current year's spending plan.

The Half Hollow Hills School District made a decision early in the budget planning process to stay within the state's new tax levy cap and avoid having to conduct a super-majority vote, in which 60 percent of voters would have to approve overriding the tax limitation. The proposed budget's 2.33 tax levy increase is the maximum allowable for Half Hollow Hills.

To meet the state's tax limitation, Half Hollow Hills will cut 37 teaching positions, 14 of which are being , as well as 30 other district jobs including 10 paraprofessionals, 10 monitors and six clerical workers. Teacher salaries will increase 3 percent and there is a step increase of about 2.46 percent.

Other cuts include the printing of a district calendar, the combined middle school musical, a variety of BOCES programs and elementary level student supplies. Additional reductions will be seen in the district’s extracurricular activity clubs, the athletic department and the purchasing of textbooks and district equipment. 

The board of education agreed to . The estimated savings amounts to $1,260,000 between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 school years. Included in the agreement is a stipulation that . 

If residents vote down the proposed budget, it may be presented for one more vote prior to July. If the board of education opts not to have a second vote, it can immediately adopt a contingency budget, which this year would force the district to operate with a zero-percent tax levy increase under the new tax cap law. Under a contingent budget, the school district will see an estimated additional 4 million in cuts.

How will you vote in tomorrow's school budget vote? Tell us in the POLL below: