By Jonann Brady
Dates to remember
Public hearing on second budget: Thursday, June 10, 8 p.m.,
West Hempstead High School, video conference room
Voter registration: Tuesday, June 15, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.,
252 Chestnut St.
Budget re-vote: Thursday, June 17, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.,
Middle School gym
What's at stake?
Under state law, if a school budget fails to pass a second time, the district must operate on a contingency budget, which means next year's budget can't rise by more than 2.76 percent over this year's. Following are programs and services that would be affected under a contingency budget:
* Full-day kindergarten cut back to a half day.
* Nine-period day reduced to eight periods.
* Interscholastic athletics eliminated.
* Cuts in textbooks.
* No outside groups or organizations would be allowed to use school facilities.
* No sports uniforms, equipment or supplies.
* Cuts in special program, such as BOCES, Cultural Arts and others.
* Cuts in teachers, monitors and aides.
* Cuts in some intramurals and clubs.
* No capital projects.
As 22 of the 56 school districts in Nassau County said no to their school budgets for 2004-05, West Hempstead residents voiced their own opposition, rejecting the $42.86 million budget by a mere six votes: 619 were in favor, and 625 opposed.
The defeat shocked administrators, parents and residents, many of whom called it an "apathy loss," saying that too many supporters simply did not turn out at the polls.
While there seemed to be little organized opposition to the budget, some residents say they are simply fed up with climbing taxes and still smarting over last year's county reassessment process. The school budget, which called for a 7.2 percent increase over the current budget, is one of the few places residents have a direct say on tax rates.
A 22-year West Hempstead resident who had never voted no on the budget before but did this year, said, "Personally, I'm upset because I don't think the county properly assessed many homes in the area. [My no vote] wasn't anything against the kids, but it's getting too expensive to live around here."
The last time West Hempsteaders rejected a school budget was 13 years ago, in 1991.
The day after the vote, the West Hempstead Board of Education met to decide its next step. At the meeting, on Wednesday, May 19, the board was presented with three options by Superintendent Carol Eisenberg. Under state law, the board could:
¥authorize a contingency budget, which would mean the budget could not increase by more than 2.76 percent over this year's and would involve cutting $1.95 million from the existing budget. Eisenberg said that would involve eliminating programs, personnel and services.
¥make cuts to the existing budget and resubmit it to voters.
¥resubmit the budget as it stands.
While the board immediately dismissed the idea of operating on a contingency budget, there was some debate about whether it should reconsider cuts. Board member Martin Kaye said, "I don't think there's any fluff at all in this budget." With the measure failing by only six votes, several people agreed that the focus should be on getting voters to the polls.
Another board member, Davis Whelpley, said board members would look like "morons" if they put up a trimmed budget. "We'll be criticized," he said. "People will say, Why didn't we do this the first time?"
But board member Vincent Trocchia said, "The public has spoken and we need to listen. If we put the same budget up, it's a slap to voters."
Ultimately, the board decided to hold a public meeting on Tuesday, May 25, to examine the budget line by line and see where possible cuts could be made. The board will then present the budget at a public hearing on June 10, and the re-vote will be held on June 17.
If the second vote fails, the district would be forced to operate on a contingency budget, which would have a devastating impact on students, said Eisenberg and others in the audience.
Among the programs the district could lose under a contingency budget include full-day kindergarten, interscholastic athletics, funding for textbooks, personnel and several intramural activities and clubs. The district would also not be allowed to complete any planned capital projects.
"The ones hurt are the students," said Eisenberg.
Several audience members at the meeting, including PTA members, West Hempstead Education Association members and parents, expressed disappointment with the vote and praised the district and the board for the hard work they did in putting together the budget. Audience members and the board also discussed the importance of mobilizing voters and ways to get out the vote on June 17.
Malverne schools, WH library budgets pass
Malverne residents passed their $35.24 million school budget by a very narrow margin, with 731 people voting in favor of the proposal and 700 against. The 2004-05 budget will be 6.3 percent larger than this year's.
Dr. Anthony Pecorale, Malverne's interim superintendent, who is leaving the district in July, said, "I wish to thank the community on behalf of the students and the district."
Pecorale said that he understood residents' concerns with taxes, but stressed that school budgets were affected by increases in pension and health-insurance costs, and that school districts had their hands tied by the state Legislature and the governor, who, he said, "gave no indication of state aid."
Some teachers in the Malverne schools say that eligible student voters were aggressively encouraged to vote -- too aggressively, some say -- with public announcements and teachers actually taking students to the polling place.
Pecorale said that 41 students voted, but some of them may have voted no. He said he has no compunction about encouraging students who are over 18 to vote. "From a citizenship standpoint, we should encourage them and teach them to vote, and not just for school elections, but for the presidential election coming up," he said.
The $1,684,277 West Hempstead library budget, a 7.3 percent increase over the current budget, passed by nearly 100 votes, with 649 voting in favor and 554 against.
Incumbents stay put
West Hempstead voters re-elected school board members David Whelpley and Marty Kaye, who ran unopposed. Whelpley received 839 votes and Kaye garnered 777. Incumbent Janice Caufield was also re-elected, receiving 675 votes and beating her challenger, Douglas Rodriguez, who had 557 votes.
Malverne residents re-elected board member Karen Aker, who ran uncontested, with 920 votes.
