Merrick School District adopts budget

The Merrick School District Board of Education adopted a $41 million budget for the 2010-11 school year on April 20 that would, if passed, increase spending by 3.37 percent and the tax levy by 5.34 percent.

The tax levy cannot be definitively determined until a New York state budget is passed in Albany and school districts receive information regarding state aid funding.

The budget increase is among the lowest the district has seen in years, according to Superintendent Dr. Ranier Melucci, with no cuts made to staff or programs.

Driving up budget numbers was nearly $700,000 in debt service that the school district is contractually required to raise for renovations to the Merrick Library; a contractually required staff salary increase; and unfunded state mandates for public schools.

"Frankly, I feel this is a pretty fair budget," Melucci said. "We are not cutting any staff members; we are not cutting any programs."

The public will have the opportunity to vote on the budget on May 18. If the budget does not pass a public vote, the board can opt to present another budget to the community for a second vote, or accept a contingency budget. If a second budget fails, the district is required by state law to operate on a contingency budget, which must have a budget-to-budget increase of 0 percent. In this instance, the district would have to look into making serious budget reductions, be prohibited from purchasing equipment, and would be legally required to charge a fee for access to school buildings, as well as follow a series of smaller restrictions.

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