East Meadow School Board adopts budget

The East Meadow Board of Education unanimously adopted the school district's proposed budget on Thursday night.

The proposal for next year's budget calls for an increase of 1.71 percent in expenditures in comparison to the current $175 million spending plan. That budget-to-budget rate is less than the difference between 2008-2009 and 2009-2010, which at a 2.2 percent hike was believed to be the lowest spending increase in decades.

Without an approved state budget, which was due on April 1, school districts like East Meadow are uncertain about the amount of aid that will be sent down from Albany. However, school officials said they made "conservative" projections of state aid, and revealed that they estimate a 1.36 percent increase in the tax levy. The current tax levy increased more than 3 percent over the previous year.

District residents will decide on the school budget at the voting booths in May.

Contracts expected to be ratified by Monday

Members of the East Meadow Teachers Association (EMTA) and the East Meadow Supervisory and Administrative Association (EMSAA) are scheduled to hold ratification votes on Friday and Monday, respectively.

Both contracts are set to expire at the end of August. School officials announced in late March that the bargaining units agreed to memorandums of understanding on new contracts with the district.

If EMTA and EMSAA members ratify the contracts, the school board would likely vote on them at the next scheduled meeting, on April 22.

For reactions and for more on these stories, read the April 15 issue of the Herald and visit LIHerald.com/eastmeadow.