Say ‘yes’ to your school budgets next Tuesday

In a good year, crafting a school district budget is an arduous, months-long process that challenges school administrators, boards of education, PTAs and budget advisory committees to come up with plans to keep property taxes as low as possible while preserving or even improving student programming.

In a bad year, developing a district budget can be downright harrowing. This is one of those years.

Drastic cuts in state aid for education combined with increases in mandatory staff benefits, electricity and heating fuel have made it difficult to put together a budget that, at the very least, maintains student programs. Fortunately, both the Bellmore and North Bellmore elementary districts as well as the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District have done just that. Each has proposed a modest increase in expenditures while keeping programs –– and, for the most part, staffs –– intact.

Only the Central High School District is cutting teaching positions –– 13 in all. But Central officials say they believe the cuts will not dramatically affect the overall educational program.

The Central District’s proposed 2011-12 budget increase stands at 3.35 percent, with 3.1 percent of that increase going to pay for staff benefits –– more than $2 million in all.

Central High School District teachers and administrators agreed to a salary freeze for next year, which is expected to save $840,000, and the district plans to lay off 25 teachers and staff members. No programs are expected to be cut.

The Bellmore Board of Education recently approved a $31.5 million budget. The proposal reflects a 2.27 percent increase in expenditures over the 2010-11 school year. The increase is the lowest in 16 years for Bellmore.

The North Bellmore Board of Education approved its 2011-12 budget at its April 14 meeting. The proposed $48 million spending plan reflects a 2.18 percent increase in expenditures over the current year. The increase is the lowest in the past 10 years.

We are urging residents of the Bellmore and North Bellmore elementary districts to support their local elementary district budgets, as well as the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District budget.

Bellmore, North Bellmore and Central District schools are counted among the finest in New York, with test scores consistently outpacing state averages. To maintain this level of excellence, the schools must be properly funded, and that starts with passing reasonable budgets to ensure that austerity measures that would reduce programming do not take effect.

Say “yes” to your local school budgets on Tuesday.