Bellmore full-day Pre-K promises boost in local revenue

District reveals proposed budget for 2017-18

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Thanks to the Bellmore School District’s new full-day pre-kindergarten program, the 2017-18 budget shows a projected $129,460 increase in tuitions, Robin Lufrano, the assistant superintendent of business and technology, said at a March 21 Board of Education meeting.

Lufrano went over the instructional component of the district’s budget, which is projected to rise by $370,587, or 1.36 percent, from last year’s. Increases are projected in health insurance, special education and computer instruction, which this year will include Chromebooks, IPads and SMART board repairs.

The total budget, including the building and administrative/capital components, is estimated at roughly $34.6 million with an increase in roughly $742,282, or 2.19 percent, from last year’s. The district will have to rely on state aid and local revenue to maintain a balanced tax levy.

Lufrano said that the district is estimated to receive a $56,935 increase in state aid. This will largely go toward Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services tuition costs, and district construction projects that have been filed with the state.

Additional revenue will come from the district’s new full-day pre-kindergarten program, which shows an increase in tuitions that could be as high as $129,460. The districts half-day Rising Star Pre-K program will still be offered free of charge, but the Pre-K Plus program will be offered for a fee of $485 per month. There will be 36 available slots for attendance, although that number is subject to change due to interest.

Despite the rise in tuitions provided by the new pre-K program, the district’s local revenue is still projected to decrease because of a $187,271 decline in its appropriated fund balance from the 2016-17 fiscal year. Conclusively, the district’s tax levy is projected to increase by 2.9 percent.

Joseph Famularo, the district’s superintendent, said that Bellmore and Nassau County should be receiving more help from the state. He brought up the issue of 17 percent of the students in New York State being enrolled on Long Island while its schools only receive 12 percent of the state’s cumulative aid. “It’s really lopsided,” he said. “If we just got 13 percent, it’s [roughly] 122 million dollars.”

The next Board of Education meeting will take place on April 20 and the district will vote on the budget on May 16.