RVC to receive more state aid

Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget plan, state aid for many school districts on Long Island will be seeing more state aid. For Rockville Centre, that means more than $213,000 extra.

Rockville Centre’s aid is increasing by 2.82 percent, which is right in line with the average increase of 2.84 percent across the state. That comes out to $213,736 for the district in general aid.

“We are still looking at the individual categories where increases occurred just to make sure there were no errors,” said Superintendent Dr. William Johnson. “So at the time when we have to incorporate this into our budget, I want to make sure the number is correct.”

The increase is a small addition to the district’s total state aid, which totals about $7.8 million on a budget that will probably be close to $100 million this year, Johnson said.

The governor’s proposal is still just that: a proposal. His budget recommendations have to be approved by the state Senate and Assembly before the budget deadline of April 1. By then changes could be made. Johnson hopes that some changes will happen to the plan.

“Every dollar counts,” Johnson said. “We are always looking to increase [state aid].

“At the end of the day, I’m hoping to get a little bit more,” he added.