RSS 2.0 FeedApril 8, 2011, Wantagh Seaford Citizen
State finalizes budget; school aid cut
How local three districts are affected by the new state budget.
There is gloomy news for school districts. Residents will have to dig deeper into their pockets because of a reduction in state aid now that the state has passed its budget for the 2012 year. The Wantagh, Seaford and Levittown school districts will all see cuts in state aid that each described as “devastating.”
Wantagh
Superintendent Lydia Begley told The Citizen the Wantagh School District will see close to a $2 million loss in aid, although $148,000 was given back in restoration aid. “It’s not a lot but it is something,” said Dr. Begley, who added that the restoration in aid could “help to restore the swim team at the high school or reduce the tax levy a bit.”
Presently the district is looking at a tax levy increase of 4.71% and a budget increase of 1.92%.
“We must rely on residents and on state aid. We don’t have a large commercial base from which to draw,” Dr. Begley explained. Additionally, the district is also looking at new state mandates that will cost taxpayers even more.
“Unfunded mandates put us in a difficult position. In July a new piece of legislation will require that there will be an annual professional performance review that will require the district to train staff in how to conduct observations. There is no money associated with this and that makes it difficult for us to plan accordingly,” explained Dr. Begley.
With all this in mind, the district has had to make cuts. “We cut nine and a half positions; three elementary positions [eliminated through attrition and retirement], one reading teacher and one sixth-grade teacher,” said Dr. Begley.
While the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District in nearby Bellmore and Merrick has agreed to decline contractual pay increases to save teachers’ jobs, no such agreement has been reached in Wantagh.
“At this point there is an expired [teachers’] contract and we have been in negotiations,” said Dr. Begley. “We are at an impasse and a mediator has been brought in.” Dr. Begley added that “the mediator is at no cost to the district.”
But the good news is that the district will be able to keep class size for K-6 and will keep “current guidelines” for class size at the middle school and high school.
Dr. Begley also pointed to other measures that help the district reduce the tax levy. “We work with other school districts in consortiums to reduce costs,” she said, including fuel and transportation. “The district is talking with Seaford and Massapequa about shared services for our mutual advantage.”
Seaford
Seaford’s Superintendent of Schools Brian Conboy said “we lost $1.5 million in aid.”
But Mr. Conboy could not provide further details on how this loss will effect the budget, the tax levy or if cuts to staffing and program will be made. “We will adopt our spending plan at the [Thursday] April 7 board meeting,” he said.
He did say that the district has received some concessions from the administrators who “have agreed to a half-year freeze.”
Mr. Conboy said the district was speaking with the teachers union as well. This coming school year, Seaford teachers are due to receive a 2.5% increase, plus steps. As of July, teachers will contribute 16.5% to the costs for health insurance.
Mr. Conboy said the district is looking at all programs and services but “nothing has been formalized,” he said.
Levittown
The Levittown School District will see a decrease of “between $3.5 and $4 million in lost aid,” said Dr. Herman Sirois, superintendent. “This decrease comes on the heels of no increase [in state aid] for three years. It’s very severe.”
Dr. Sirois said they are trying to keep the tax levy “below four percent and the budget increase below three percent. We may have to excess 60 teachers and will eliminate all capital repairs equipment and will remove money from the fund balance,” he said.
Dr. Sirois said that the district is involved in a number of purchasing consortiums to help defray costs for the district but “that’s just a small portion of the budget. Most of the cost is personnel,” he said.
With this in mind, Dr. Sirois said “we are in discussions with all unions about possible concessions, but there are no final agreements. We are hopeful that this will help delay or eradicate cuts.”
Levittown teachers are due to receive a three percent increase in salary plus steps and pay 20% of health insurance costs.
In closing Dr. Sirois articulated the feeling of many educators who feel Governor Andrew Cuomo has unfairly targeted schools. “This is all fallout from the governor’s national campaign,” said Dr. Sirois, “the let’s hate education campaign.”
