By Andrew Coen
The $79.3 million budget passed by a vote of 3,152 to 1,918.
"I want to thank everyone in the community for their hard work in helping to show what this new budget means for everybody," said Superintendent Dr. Les Omotani after the vote was tallied late Tuesday night. "We look forward to a great 2005-06 school year."
School Board President Howard Weinick added, "While the budget approved tonight might not fulfill every need we identified when we put together our original budget, it maintains most of our programs, class sizes and virtually all teachers in the classrooms.
"We balanced our commitment to our students and the quality of our programs with concern for our taxpayers in these difficult times."
The approved budget contains a tax-levy increase of 6.73 percent and an estimated 9.02 percent tax increase for the average District 14 homeowner, according to the Nassau County Assessor's Office. The tax rate will be an estimated $348.58 per $100 of the assessed value of a home, according to the assessor. A Hewlett-Woodmere homeowner with a house priced at $551,800 will see an estimated school tax bill of $9,617.
Voters shot down the initial $81.8 million budget proposal, a 9.57 percent increase, by 811 votes, 2,334 to 1,523, on May 17, forcing district officials to slash more than $2.5 million from the plan. Officials attributed the budget increases mainly to mandated costs beyond their control, including hikes in the teachers' retirement system, health insurance, Special Education and utilities.
It was the first time since 1995 that District 14 held a revote for a rejected budget and, like 10 years ago, the revised proposal was approved.
"I don't want to see our district go on austerity," said District 14 resident Neil Berman after casting his yes vote. "It's an embarrassment to the community if we do."
Had the budget failed, the district would have been forced to work with a contingency budget for the first time in its history, which would have been limited to less than $77 million, a 3.06 percent increase over the 2004-05 budget. This would have forced the school district to spend money only on essential items and to cut programs like continuing education and summer recreation, according to district officials.
The tax-levy hike in a contingency budget would have been 5.3 percent. The difference between the approved budget and an austerity plan is around $94 a year for the typical District 14 taxpayer, according to district officials.
Comments about this story? Acoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
