Local leaders, administrators worried on school budgets

As the reality of the likely state school-aid numbers starts to set in, local leaders and school administrators are worried about what the future holds if the financial situation gets much worse for education funding.

“The past year and a half has been a nightmare for our schools and it isn’t ending anytime soon,” Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-North Valley Stream) said in a statement last week. “These cuts are going to have drastic consequences for taxpayers.”

Local schools in Franklin Square and Elmont could lose more than a combined $5 million in state-aid funding, if proposed cuts by Gov. David Paterson become a reality. Alfano wasn’t shy in bashing the governor for what he said was an insult not only to local schools, but to local taxpayers.

“This budget says one thing to taxpayers- pay more and more,” Alfano said. “I’m shocked that the Governor hasn’t gotten the message that the tax increases have to stop.”

Administrators are trying to keep things positive, insisting that they’ll be spending the next few months working to craft a budget that taxpayers will vote on and approve.

“It’s our hope we’ll be able to get a budget passed with minimal cuts and impact on the students,” said Sewanhaka Central High School District Superintendent Warren Meierdiercks. “And we’d like to make sure that passes its first vote in May.”

Sewanhaka was scheduled to have its first budget meeting since the steep possible cuts were made public two weeks ago. In the interim, he said, there has been “minimal” public discussion between school board members and administrators about what to do with the potential loss of more than $3 million in state aid.

Alfano, for one, thinks the voting public should stand up to the governor.

“The people have to hold politicians accountable and not tolerate this daytime train robbery of our state aid being pickpocketed from Long Island,” Alfano said. “The people don’t want these cuts and can’t afford the tax increases.”