Schools

Proposed Budget Maintains Class Sizes, Keeps Teachers

The tax levy and expense increases in the proposed budget were kept under two percent for the second consecutive year.

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The proposed 2011-12 school budget that was adopted by the East Meadow Board of Education on April 7 will not include the excessing of teachers, and class sizes will be maintained as well. Programs will also remain intact if voters vote to approve the proposed budget.

Despite the fact that $2.3 billion in state aid was cut from Long Island school districts, East Meadow’s “rainy day” fund helped offset some of the money lost. The final budget-to-budget increase stands at 1.73 percent, and tax levy increase of 1.62 percent. The tax levy is the total amount that a district must raise in property taxes in order to meet expenses. It’s the second straight year that the district has kept the increase below two percent.

East Meadow Budget and Levy Increase (Five year comparison)

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Year 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 Budget Increase (%) 5.49 4.30 2.20 1.71 1.73 Tax Levy Increase (%) 3.81 4.46 3.50 1.36 1.62

“East Meadow, at this point in time, has suffered a loss of almost $5 million in school aid and our mandated expenses,” East Meadow Board of Education President Brian O’Flaherty said at a recent school board meeting. “Expenses beyond our control as a school district continue to increase. We, in East Meadow, are fortunate that, due to years of prudent financial planning, we believe that we are in a position, at least for this year, to weather these draconian cuts in state aid.”

In October, Denise Michaelis, a parent of two third-graders at Bowling Green Elementary School, spoke to the district about class sizes rising from 20 to 26 in the past two years.

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"The increased class size means more children require extra help," Michaelis said. "Those who don't require extra help sit and wait for their classmates to catch up."

The wording in the proposed 2011-12 budget says that class sizes will be "maintained within district guidelines."

Despite having the "rainy day" fund available, the district still had to make a number of cuts. Most notably, all of East Meadow's American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) funding was cut (over $3 million) and the district's Capital Funding Budget was cut just under 36 percent. Check below for a full list of cuts.

District Cuts

Category 2010-11 Budget 2011-12 Budget Money Cut Asst. Superintendent for Business and Finance 906,469 894,051 12,418 Auditing Expenses 143,535 128,535 15,000 Legal Services 520,000 460,000 60,000 Communications 222,527 202,768 19,759 Operating of Plant 9,573,394 9,430,334 143,060 Central Printing Services 396,436 377,126 69,310 Central Data Processing 1,097,727 1,009,888 87,839 Other Insurance 1,381,620 1,351,620 30,000 Curriculum Development and Supervision 560,374 550,290 10,084 Continuing Education 88,070 65,612 22,458 Research, Planning and Evaluation 21,700 2,500 19,200 Staff Development 113,600 96,250 17,350 ARRA Funding 3,042,942 0 3,042,942 Teaching- Special Schools 230,374 227,185 3,189 Distance Learning/Video Conferencing 354,339 346,914 7,425 Computer Assisted Instruction 3,650,868 3,536,463 114,405 Capital Projects 651,300 418,000 233,300

Despite rough economic times, there were a number of increases as well. Teaching saw a big boost in money, as the proposed budget shows an increase of more than $3.7 million. Also, there was a big bump of over $1.3 million in programs for children with disabilities. Employee benefits were raised this year over $175,000 as well. Check below for a full list of the increases in this year's proposed budget.

District Increases

Category 2010-11 Budget 2011-12 Budget Amount Increased Chief School Administrator 289,557 302,620 13,063 Personnel Services 461,105 465,164 4,059 Repair and Maintenance of Plant 1,901,487 1,911,798 10,311 Supervision, Regular Day School 5,863,866 5,923,896 60,030 Teaching 58,726,032 62,490,058 3,764,026 Programs for Children with Disabilities 17,913,222 19,221,256 1,308,034 Occupational Education 4,742,548 5,144,002 401,454 Library/Media 1,625,583 1,784,667 159,084 Guidance 2,814,784 3,032,332 217,548 Health Services 1,262,342 1,290,807 28,465 Psychological Services 1,176,033 1,717,389 541,356 Social Services Program 768,968 908,260 139,292 Co-Curricular Activities 362,260 376,896 14,636 Interscholastic Athletics 1,890,262 1,925,132 34,870 People Transportation 10,778,982 10,843,005 64,023 CAPE 280,456 281,575 1,119 Special Programs Science/Music/Art 97,968 99,350 1,382 Enrollment Data Collection 50,159 52,636 2,477 Employee Benefits 36,537,904 36,713,000 175,096 Debt Service 5,636,066 5,644,378 8,312

The official budget presentation will take place on May 5 at 7 :30 p.m. at the Salisbury Administrative Center.

The school budget vote and board of education trustee election will take place on May 17. To register to vote, click here.

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