Editorial

Vote ‘yes’ on I.P. school budget

Posted

The Island Park School District had to overcome two major financial setbacks this year, and still came up with a workable budget totaling $38.9 million, an increase of 1.48 percent over the current spending plan. The Herald endorses this budget.

The district had to deal with less state aid than it anticipated, and lower-than-expected payments in lieu of taxes from the Bayview Nursing Home, but administrators still managed to create a budget that increases the number of teachers and expands programs while maintaining services.

The state aid calculations show a total of $2.3 million for Island Park, a drop of $72,000 from the current year. And the district had expected $173,000 from the PILOT program, but found out that it will have to share that total with the county, the Town of Hempstead, the village and the Island Park library, leaving just over $90,000 for the schools for 2015-16.

The district did not spend as much this year on services from BOCES, and expects to spend some $226,000 less next year than this year, which means the state aid reimbursement for those expenditures will shrink as well. Without BOCES in the calculations, state aid actually would have increased by over $154,000.

The budget’s $31.8 million tax levy is just 1.5 percent larger than this year’s. With all the problems the district faced, it still managed to increase the number of teachers, and maintain and improve its social studies, English as a Second Language and music programs.

There is also a proposition on the ballot establishing a capital reserve fund to pay for improvements and repairs to the roofs of the Hegarty Elementary School and the Lincoln Orens Middle School — a maximum of $7 million over three years. The district would use unspent money that is not earmarked for other uses, plus leftover funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, after it fully repays the capital bond approved by voters two years ago. We urge a “yes” vote on the proposition.

For school board, Hayes

Two qualified men are running for school board. One is its current president, Richie Hayes, who has been a trustee for five years and helps craft the budgets, and the other is Harbor Isle resident Jack Vobis, who has three children in Island Park Schools.

Hayes is a third-generation Island Park resident, and his daughter, who is now at Long Beach High School, went to Island Park schools. Vobis is active in the PTA and is president of the Island Park Little League. He is an attorney with Rivkin Ratler LLP, in litigation and appeals, focusing on civil matters.

While both men would bring outstanding credentials to the job, we give the nod to Hayes, based on his experience. Voters should show him their support on Tuesday.