Support your local school budgets

The Herald enthusiastically endorses the Bellmore, North Bellmore and Bellmore-Merrick Central school districts' 2010-11 budgets.

The Bellmore School District has proposed a 2.97 percent increase in spending for next year; the North Bellmore District, a 2.49 percent increase; and the Central High School District, a 3.39 percent increase. We consider all three of these spending plans to be reasonable and acceptable.

There are those who would prefer no increase in spending, but that is impossible. Each of the districts is contractually obligated to increase employees' salaries next year, and all three districts have suffered state aid cuts, which force them to increase spending or cut programming. We're thankful that none of the three districts has considered reducing student services to save a few dollars.

We believe that these districts have made good-faith efforts to keep spending in check, while meeting students' needs and fulfilling parents' expectations. That's a tall order in today's economy, but our local boards of education and school administrations have done an admirable job of considering every angle while developing their spending plans.

If the school budgets were to fail, homeowners would see little savings in their tax bills, but student programs would surely be cut. District officials would have to consider reducing any and all non-mandated programs, from elementary foreign language in the Bellmore District, to music in the North Bellmore District, to science research in the Central District. In the end, only the students would suffer. At the high school level, sports would also be on the chopping block, and in all three districts, residents would have to pay in order to use school facilities.

We would hate to see the quality of our local schools suffer because of spending cuts. Quality schools help support higher property values, and in times such as this, our property values can use all the help they can get.

We urge residents to vote on Tuesday, and to cast their ballots for their districts' budgets. Our kids need your support.