Districts brace for state cuts

Valley Stream’s four school districts stand to lose about $4 million in state aid if Gov. David Paterson’s proposed cuts for next year become reality.

The governor, seeking to close a state deficit of $7.4 billion, has proposed cuts across the board, including to schools. The budget deadline is April 1, however, and many local school leaders are doubtful that state lawmakers will have a spending plan in place by then.

“Historically, they’ve not always been very timely,” said Dr. Marc Bernstein, superintendent of the Valley Stream Central High School District. Bernstein explained that school districts typically use the governor’s state aid figures as a starting point when planning their budgets. The legislature’s proposal is usually better, but “we can’t assume that,” he added.

The Central High School District alone would lose about $2.5 million in aid under Paterson’s proposal. Bernstein said he would seek guidance from the Board of Education as to how large a tax increase would be acceptable to the community. From there, he will develop a budget proposal.

District 13 is looking at a possible aid cut of $630,000. Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said she recognizes that the state is in tough financial shape and that aid cuts are all but guaranteed. In order to keep the tax increase to a minimum, Lison said, the district might have to sacrifice programs, staff and services. That would be unfortunate, she explained, because school officials are very pleased with the educational program offered in District 13. “We’re in a very good place,” she said, “and we want to preserve that any way we can.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority payroll tax doesn’t help, Lison said: It added $70,000 to the district’s budget this year. “It’s a new, unfunded mandate,” she said. “It’s amazing what is placed on the schools.”

The district will hold its first budget planning meeting on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. in the James A. Dever School board room.

District 24 Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale said that the proposed cut of $510,000 is 9.33 percent of the district’s state aid this year — well above the 5 percent cut to public schools statewide. Fale noted that Long Island districts, on average, have been hit with higher cuts than the rest of the state.

District 24 was cited earlier this year in a state comptroller’s audit for having too much in its fund balance. Fale said that with an aid cut likely, the excess money could be used to weather the storm for the coming year. “We can draw upon some of that to preserve programs,” he said. “We don’t have much we can possibly cut now because we did a lot of cuts the past few years.”

Fale’s biggest concern would be having to increase class sizes. He explained that in the lower graders, class sizes are capped at 25 students, but the district tries to keep them to around 20. The upper elementary grades already have class sizes in the mid-20s, and Fale doesn’t want to see them reach 30. The amount the state is looking to cut in District 24, Fale said, equates to eight teachers.

District 30 would lose about $360,000, or 6.21 percent of its aid. Superintendent Dr. Elaine Kanas said that the administration is being very cost-conscious right now, and there is a budget freeze on non-essential supplies. Additionally, district officials are examining programs to see how services can be delivered at a lower cost.

Looking at the budget deficit New York is facing, Kanas expects an aid reduction. “I think of all the years, this is going to be the year that there’s going to be a state aid cut,” she said. “But we don’t know for how much.”

Bernstein said there is some potentially good news on the horizon. The jobs bill being considered by President Obama and Congress could include funding to retain state employees, including teachers. Bernstein said he would be monitoring the bill’s progress because it could have an impact on school revenues next year.