Staying the course in Wantagh

Despite a lack of state aid numbers, Wantagh School District officials presented a first draft of the 2015-16 budget on Feb. 26, a spending plan that would maintain programs and fall below the tax cap.

At the first of four public budget forums, residents were introduced to a spending plan that is far from finalized as the district waits on more information from the state. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has not released preliminary state aid figures for Wantagh or any other district as he seeks education reforms, including changes to the teacher evaluation system.

Superintendent Maureen Goldberg described the “sea of uncertainty” facing the district in this year’s budget planning process.

State aid accounts for less than 20 percent of the budget’s revenue. District officials are expecting about $14.6 million in state aid next year — an increase of about $150,000 — which Goldberg said is based on a November 2014 estimate. “We do feel that it’s a safe number,” she said. “It is not a firm number.”

The figure also assumes that the Gap Elimination Adjustment, a calculation added several years ago to help the state close its budget deficit, will remain in place. If that were eliminated (a measure supported by local legislators), Wantagh would get back nearly $1.7 million.

The draft 2015-16 budget comes in at $76.3 million, an increase of about $880,000, or 1.17 percent, over the current year. Adriana Silver, the assistant superintendent for business, said that at least half of that increase is the result of unfunded mandates. The district will need to add additional teachers to meet ESL and Academic Intervention Services requirements.

The switch to optical scan voting machines for the annual budget and Board of Education vote will also add costs over the current lever machines, Goldberg explained. “You never know what new mandate is waiting right around the corner for you,” she said.