Post by mack on Jun 5, 2008 7:24:42 GMT -5
From today's Newsday:
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www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-liskul055714244jun05,0,6696356.story
Five local districts to revote on school budget
BY JOHN HILDEBRAND | john.hildebrand@newsday.com
June 5, 2008
State attempts to cap school spending have largely failed on Long Island so far - a point underscored in local districts that have scheduled budget revotes on June 17.
Five of seven districts whose budgets were rejected last month have decided next year's spending will exceed the state's austerity cap of 3.36 percent, even if local voters say "no" a second time. Another district, East Moriches, which has decided against a revote, plans to exceed the cap as well.
District officials note that the extra spending is perfectly legal under an expanding list of exempted expenses approved by state lawmakers at the urging of teacher unions and other education groups. The latest exemption, adopted last year, allows districts to exclude from the caps any annual increases in the state's biggest category of financial assistance known as "foundation aid," which increases $1.2 billion statewide next year.
Taxpayer groups contend that exemption overuse has made spending caps a sham. An advisory commission backed by Gov. David A. Paterson proposed earlier this week reforming the system by adopting new tax caps with no such exemptions.
"The system is broken," said commission chairman Nassau Executive Thomas Suozzi. "There are so many exceptions that even if you vote a budget down, your property taxes still go up, in some cases by more than if you voted for the budget."
In 1997, the state decreed that districts failing to win voter support of budgets could raise annual spending by no more than 120 percent of the inflation rate. At the same time, however, the state exempted certain big spending items - for example, salaries of teachers hired to accommodate enrollment growth, and repayment of money borrowed to build new classrooms.
The exceptions leave districts with wide latitude in structuring budgets. Wantagh, for example, has opted to spend $441,000 on construction-debt repayment if its revised budget passes, but to raise this amount to $1.2 million if the spending plan fails.
Jim Christie, Wantagh's assistant superintendent for business, notes the contingency budget of $63.1 million still would be about $1.5 million less than the district's proposed plan. He adds that putting extra money into the contingency budget next year helps avoid bigger spending increases later. "It's pay me now or pay me later," he said.
Taxpayers across the region often complain of spending loopholes. That's one subject of debate in Kings Park, which plans to adopt a $73.5 million contingency budget with a 4.63 percent spending hike if the district's proposed $74 million budget fails.
Many parents who showed up for a recent Saturday budget hearing said that further spending cuts could devastate their district. Some pointed out that Kings Park already operates on a relatively lean budget without full-day kindergarten and other enriched services taken for granted in districts nearby. "How are we ever going to be able to catch up?" said Randi Garfinkel, the mother of a kindergartner.
Some older residents, on the other hand, think the district should stick to the minimum spending cap.
"They can do what they want - it's off the wall," said Barbara Grosswald, a retired CPA.
UP FOR REVOTES
Here are revised budgets in school districts where voters rejected spending plans last month. Revotes will take place June 17. If a new budget is voted down again, that district would adopt an austerity budget.
BUDGET UP FOR VOTE AUSTERITY PLAN
District Proposed %spending %tax %spending
spending increase increase increase
East Moriches $23,394,906* N/A 7.84% 3.82%
Hauppauge 91,327,773 4.74% 2.56 2.08
Kings Park 74,022,428 5.31 4.29 4.63
Lindenhurst 133,873,337 5.13 4.66 4.26
Patchogue-
Medford 154,672,399 4.12 8.8 3.88
Shelter Isla 9,499,918 6.42 6.66 2.6
Shoreham-
Wading River 53,753,741 6.1 0 5.67
Wantagh 64,735,634* 7.75 8.27 5.18
*District already adopted contingency, or "austerity," budget.
** Same budget defeated previously
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www.newsday.com/news/printedition/longisland/ny-liskul055714244jun05,0,6696356.story
Five local districts to revote on school budget
BY JOHN HILDEBRAND | john.hildebrand@newsday.com
June 5, 2008
State attempts to cap school spending have largely failed on Long Island so far - a point underscored in local districts that have scheduled budget revotes on June 17.
Five of seven districts whose budgets were rejected last month have decided next year's spending will exceed the state's austerity cap of 3.36 percent, even if local voters say "no" a second time. Another district, East Moriches, which has decided against a revote, plans to exceed the cap as well.
District officials note that the extra spending is perfectly legal under an expanding list of exempted expenses approved by state lawmakers at the urging of teacher unions and other education groups. The latest exemption, adopted last year, allows districts to exclude from the caps any annual increases in the state's biggest category of financial assistance known as "foundation aid," which increases $1.2 billion statewide next year.
Taxpayer groups contend that exemption overuse has made spending caps a sham. An advisory commission backed by Gov. David A. Paterson proposed earlier this week reforming the system by adopting new tax caps with no such exemptions.
"The system is broken," said commission chairman Nassau Executive Thomas Suozzi. "There are so many exceptions that even if you vote a budget down, your property taxes still go up, in some cases by more than if you voted for the budget."
In 1997, the state decreed that districts failing to win voter support of budgets could raise annual spending by no more than 120 percent of the inflation rate. At the same time, however, the state exempted certain big spending items - for example, salaries of teachers hired to accommodate enrollment growth, and repayment of money borrowed to build new classrooms.
The exceptions leave districts with wide latitude in structuring budgets. Wantagh, for example, has opted to spend $441,000 on construction-debt repayment if its revised budget passes, but to raise this amount to $1.2 million if the spending plan fails.
Jim Christie, Wantagh's assistant superintendent for business, notes the contingency budget of $63.1 million still would be about $1.5 million less than the district's proposed plan. He adds that putting extra money into the contingency budget next year helps avoid bigger spending increases later. "It's pay me now or pay me later," he said.
Taxpayers across the region often complain of spending loopholes. That's one subject of debate in Kings Park, which plans to adopt a $73.5 million contingency budget with a 4.63 percent spending hike if the district's proposed $74 million budget fails.
Many parents who showed up for a recent Saturday budget hearing said that further spending cuts could devastate their district. Some pointed out that Kings Park already operates on a relatively lean budget without full-day kindergarten and other enriched services taken for granted in districts nearby. "How are we ever going to be able to catch up?" said Randi Garfinkel, the mother of a kindergartner.
Some older residents, on the other hand, think the district should stick to the minimum spending cap.
"They can do what they want - it's off the wall," said Barbara Grosswald, a retired CPA.
UP FOR REVOTES
Here are revised budgets in school districts where voters rejected spending plans last month. Revotes will take place June 17. If a new budget is voted down again, that district would adopt an austerity budget.
BUDGET UP FOR VOTE AUSTERITY PLAN
District Proposed %spending %tax %spending
spending increase increase increase
East Moriches $23,394,906* N/A 7.84% 3.82%
Hauppauge 91,327,773 4.74% 2.56 2.08
Kings Park 74,022,428 5.31 4.29 4.63
Lindenhurst 133,873,337 5.13 4.66 4.26
Patchogue-
Medford 154,672,399 4.12 8.8 3.88
Shelter Isla 9,499,918 6.42 6.66 2.6
Shoreham-
Wading River 53,753,741 6.1 0 5.67
Wantagh 64,735,634* 7.75 8.27 5.18
*District already adopted contingency, or "austerity," budget.
** Same budget defeated previously
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