Merrick elementary districts prepare for budget vote

Both the Merrick and North Merrick school districts will hold their annual budget votes next week. Here’s what you need to know about the districts’ spending plans:

In Merrick

On May 17, the Merrick school district will hold its annual public vote for the 2011-2012 proposed budget. Voting will take place at Levy-Lakeside Elementary School from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The proposed $42.3 million spending plan includes a 3.31 percent increase in expenditures over the 2010-11 budget.

The proposed budget was adopted by the Board of Education on April 12. Facing a $600,000 state aid cut, the board was able to adopt the budget without eliminating programs, reducing staff or increasing class size.

“It’s a credit to the board and to the building administrators and the central office administrators that we’re able keep that budget increase as low as 3.31 percent,” said Merrick Superintendent Dr. Ranier Melucci. “We certainly would like to make it even lower, but we’ve been able to do that without cutting programs.”

Lakeside Elementary School is located at the end of Babylon Road, just south of Merrick Road. To vote, one must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a district resident for at least 30 days prior to the vote.

In North Merrick

The North Merrick School District will hold its annual public vote for the 2011-2012 proposed budget on May 17 from 2 to 10 p.m. at Fayette Elementary School.

The proposed budget stands at $26.8 million, which includes a 2.11 percent increase in expenditures over the current year.

In April, after what the board of trustees called a “challenging” budget season, including a $500,000 cut in staid aid, the teachers and administrators in the North Merrick School District agreed to voluntarily forgo their raises in the 2011-12 academic year, which will save the district $350,000.

“Our teachers and administrators, in recognition of what is so unique about North Merrick, and in their desire to do what they can to maintain all that is special here, have taken the unprecedented step of not taking their raise for next year,” said Superintendent David Feller at an April 12 board meeting, right before the Board of Education adopted the budget. “This sacrifice is greatly appreciated by this Board of Education, superintendent of schools and hopefully our community as a whole.”

Feller also said that no programs would be cut and that the schools should be able to maintain their current class sizes.

Fayette Elementary School is located on Merrick Avenue, just north of the Southern State Parkway. To vote, one must be at least 18 years old, a U.S. citizen and a district resident for at least 30 days prior to the vote.

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