By MIKE RUSSO
District officials had been anticipating $25.33 million in aid from the state when the Board of Education adopted the 2009-10 school budget on March 25, but officials in Albany have since announced that such aid to Long Island school districts would be slightly higher. Foundation aid was also restored to current year levels, which for the Baldwin School District amounts to about $16.64 million.
Officials said that the tax levy increase of 1.5 percent is the lowest figure seen in at least a decade, and that the additional state aid funding would help lower the burden on Baldwin taxpayers.
"Obviously, it helps the taxpayer for the 2009-10 school year by having a very low tax levy increase," said Assistant Superintendent for Business and Administrative Services Frank Fiumano. "It will have no impact in [20]10-11 because every year is a new year in itself, but there's definitely property tax relief for the taxpayer [in 09-10]."
Fiumano said that a half-dozen items removed from the 2009-10 proposed budget prior to its adoption — which brought the original tax levy increase to below 4 percent — will not be put back in the spending plan, and that the total budget expenditure — $114.96 million — will not change.
Board of Education Trustee James Scannell said that the school board's goal is always to lower the tax levy if the district receives additional state aid late in the budget process. Scannell said he hopes the lower tax levy will benefit taxpayers already struggling in the current economy.
"It certainly is a boom to the taxpayers of the Baldwin school community," said Scannell. "The lower the tax levy can be, the better it is for everybody."
The budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday, May 19. The next meeting of the Baldwin Board of Education will be held at Milburn School on April 22 at 8 p.m. District administrators will hold a series of budget presentations at PTA meetings throughout April and May, and the annual district meeting and budget hearing will be held May 5 at the District Office at 8 p.m. For more information on the 2009-10 school budget, visit the Baldwin School District Web site at www.baldwin.k12.ny.us/budgetinfo.htm.
Comments about this story? MRusso@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
