School Budget Vote in Home Stretch

Voters will take to the polls on Tuesday when they decide on the 2011-12 school budget and elect two school board members. Incumbent are running unopposed for the two remaining spots.

Thecalls for $130,861,023 in spending, a 2.96 increase over the current budget. School officials said the tax levy would increase by about 3.95 percent. If the budget fails, the contingency budget would be $129,388,425, a maximum of a 1.92 increase over the current budget, and a tax levy increase on 3.91 percent.

Local community leaders weighed in on the impact of a contingency budget. The Port Washington Parents Council notes that the district then must operate under New York State laws “that mandate how the district’s money can be spent.”

According to Parents Council, taxes would still increase “by almost the same amount but the district will be forced to cut an additional $1.473 million. State law mandates the first $655,000 be cut from equipment/capital/supplies. The remaining $818,000 will likely come from further teacher/staff cuts beyond the 35 positions that have already been cut.”

However, the Port Washington Education Assembly believes the contingency budget would be about 2.5 percent if the Board of Education “applied the same amount from the reserve funds [$1.4 million]."

“They have stated in their mailing that they are choosing … to in effect punish the taxpayers for defeating the budget by not applying the $1.4 million of reserves to pay for the budget, and instead raise the taxes by that amount,” says Frank J. Russo, Jr.,  of the PWEA. “It is a ‘game' a number of school districts play across LI to punish voters/taxpayers who defeat their proposed budgets.”

But the Parents Council sees it differently, claiming that “the district won’t offset the tax levy with reserve funds as those funds will be needed next year to try and reinstate the programs cut under contingency.”  

Polls are open from 6 a.m to 10 p.m. Find out where to vote.