District 24 adopts $27.7M budget

The District 24 Board of Education adopted a $27.7 million budget proposal on April 6 that preserves current programs and staff and pays for new reading textbooks.

“We are extremely pleased that once again we were able to put together a budget that we’re recommending that is tax cap compliant,” Superintendent Ed Fale said. “That we are able to move all of our programs forward, maintain our programs of excellence.”

The total 2016-17 budget includes a $541,782 increase over the current school year, with a .33 percent increase in the tax levy that translates to about $10 per household. This number will increase once the Central High School District’s budget is combined with each of the elementary school districts.

Though piercing the tax cap was previously discussed as an option for next year’s budget in District 24, an unexpected full restoration of $423,739 in Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) money owed to the district was included in the New York State budget, which deemed doing so unnecessary. The GEA was created in 2010 as a way to close the state’s budget deficit by reducing state aid to school districts, and has since come under fire for straining school districts’ ability to provide for students.

Since the final GEA money owed is included in next year’s state aid, districts will have less revenue coming from the state in subsequent years, so piercing the tax cap in the future is still a possibility for District 24.

Director of Finance and Operations Jack Mitchell said that there are a number of variables going forward, including payments made by the Sun Valley Towers to the school district. Though, Mitchell noted that once the school begins receiving Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) from the apartment complex, they will be forced to levy even less money through taxes from the community.

In order to rebuild the fund balance reserves, Fale said at some point the district “will likely have to pierce the tax cap.” At the end of the school year, leftover money in the budget is known as fund balance, and Fale said the 2016-17 spending plan should allow for some small carryover. So far this budget season, no school districts in Nassau County have proposed piercing the tax cap.

Since the district faced painful budget cuts to staff and programs last year, members of the board were pleased with the cut-free proposal.

“When you look at everything that you’ve just put up on the screen, I think to come out with this number is really excellent,” said Trustee Anthony Iadevaio. “From you, and the administration, I think this is a great win for us as far as that goes.”