Island Park adopts school budget

The Island Park School District adopted its proposed 2011-12 budget at the Board of Education meeting on May 2, and, on May 17, residents will vote on it at the Lincoln Orens Middle School.

A 2.99 percent increase, the budget approved last week by the board was described by Superintendent Rosmarie Bovino as a “good” plan with a “reasonable” tax levy increase of 1.73 percent. “The thing for everyone to see is that this is a really good budget,” she said. “If we can get our people out to vote ‘yes,’ that would be important.”

The spending plan totals $33.5 million — approximately $27.5 million of which is devoted to general education costs like teachers’ salaries, classroom expenses, textbooks, food services and special education. For the first time next year, Island Park would institute a kindergarten class for private special education students in an effort to reduce expenses. Bovino said past private school students were bused outside the district, but that won’t continue.

Bovino also said there would be an increase in the salaries of substitute teachers by 45 percent to a total of $145,000. She said this was due to the amount of substitutes who have exceeded their 20 days teaching in the district, in which they are initially paid $90 each day. After 20 days of teaching as a substitute, however, this rate increases and she said that is reflected in the spending plan for next year.

Furthermore, Bovino said that the teaching staff in Island Park has declined over the last 10 years, and the district needs extra personnel around. Bovino estimated that class sizes have also gradually increased during the same time frame that the teacher roster has gotten smaller, adding to the need for extra staff. In 2001, the average amount of students in a classroom was 15. This year, it was estimated near 22. The superintendent said she did not find these increasing statistics alarming.

But despite these jumps, Bovino added that the district would cut back in other areas. In accordance with the budget, vacation pay for teachers would be reduced and some administrators have already decided to give up some of their vacation days voluntarily. Vacation days have been reduced from 22 days to 10.

In addition, Bovino predicted Island Park would save at least $20 million by eliminating unneeded bus routes, such as the 7:15 p.m. late bus from West Hempstead High School and evening will calls and summer bus runs to West Hempstead and Long Beach high schools. The district would also consolidate the 4:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. buses at both Francis X. Hegarty Elementary School and Lincoln Orens Middle School, so that the 5 p.m. route would only be needed.

“There was very little to trim in the budget,” said Bovino, who will take a 1.5 percent cut in her contract over the next three years in her superintendent salary. “With what we’ve come up with, we’ve assured the lowest possible tax rate for the community.”

For the district’s budget revenues, she said that state aid would decline by approximately $160,000. Likewise, BOCES aid would drop by a little more than $20,000. Bovino linked this reduction to less district spending for services from BOCES. In total, the district’s budget revenue totals $1,986,000 — a $106,000 difference from the $2 million plus it is expecting to take in for 2010-11.