By Andrew Coen
Lawrence is in jeopardy of being forced onto austerity for a third straight year if the budget goes down to defeat, while Hewlett-Woodmere is proposing a nearly 10 percent budget hike, which some school board members feel may be too much for residents to swallow.
In District 15, voters will decide whether to approve a 4.54 percent budget increase, to $89,293,354, while District 14 is proposing a 9.57 percent increase, to $81,846,729.
Lawrence budget
Initially aiming for a 3.5 percent increase, the District 15 school board increased the proposed budget an additional 1 percent after parents expressed fears that it would force the cancellation of important programs.
PTA leaders had stated that they would not lobby for support of a 3.5 percent increase, but they now support the proposed 4.54 percent hike and are making their traditional phone calls to drum up support. "PTA will be doing everything possible to get the vote out, because we believe passing this budget will determine the future of this school district," said Nikki Greene-Douglas, co-president of the Lawrence Central Council PTA.
The increase, which was unanimously approved by the school board at its April 20 meeting, would enable the district to provide funding for middle-school athletics, summer-school classes and the high school alternative program Branching Out in New Directions (BOND), designed to help struggling students. These programs, along with other activities, could be in serious jeopardy if the budget fails, according to district officials. If the budget is defeated, the district would be forced to operate on a contingency budget, which carries a maximum 3.24 percent hike.
The estimated tax rate is $226.39 per $100 of the assessed value of a home, according to the Nassau County assessor's office. The average District 15 home, which is assessed at $540,600, would see taxes go up $432, according to district officials.
"I can't emphasize enough the importance of [passing the budget]," said school board President Kathy Raquet. "I hope the community will support our children."
Inwood civic leaders Gregory Nunn, of the Inwood Community Group, and Jesse Mistero, the community's Republican leader, have also pledged to rally support for the budget and help transport people to the polls. At Monday's Atlantic Beach Village Board meeting, Deputy Mayor Janice Goorland urged the public to get to the polls to support the budget, and even offered to drive voters there if necessary.
But Rabbi Rafael Saffra of Lawrence said he does not support the proposed budget, because he feels the school board has not yet properly addressed issues related to increasing revenues by either selling or leasing the Number One School property or controlling the growth of teacher contracts. According to Raquet, had the board decided not to close the Number One School last year as part of a consolidation plan, the proposed budget would be much higher.
A 4.54 percent increase amounts to a 7.65 percent tax increase for the average District 15 homeowner, according to Deirdre Gambino, assistant superintendent for business. A 3.5 percent tax increase would have resulted in a 6.47 percent increase in taxes for the average homeowner, district officials said. The tax levy for the proposed $89 million-plus budget is $80,892,967, a 5.31 percent increase.
Raquet said the proposed budget is "bare bones" and that there is no reason why it shouldn't pass. "I can't imagine how this community would not support such a minimal budget for the children," said Raquet.
The proposed plan would bring about administrative change at the high school, where six dean positions would be eliminated and replaced by two new assistant principals who would handle all discipline matters. More than 30 staff positions would also be slashed.
Cuts at the elementary school level would include the enrichment portion of the Gifted and Talented Program (GAT/E) as well as a reduction in resources allocated to the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. A slight increase in class size and a reduction of classes at the Number Four School would also occur, according to district officials.
District officials have said that most of the budget increase would be directed to salary adjustments, insurance premiums, retirement contributions and utility costs. Budget items that would also see an increase include $227,557 in non-public-school transportation, $235,060 in pupil and personnel services supervision and $480,000 in health insurance and Medicare refunds.
Lawrence voters have not approved a budget since June of 2002, a month after the initial proposal was rejected, when it passed by just 14 votes in a revote. The last two years have featured four consecutive budget setbacks, with no vote closer to passing than 700 votes.
Voting on the proposed District 15 budget will take place on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Lawrence Middle School, Lawrence High School, the Number Two School in Inwood, Atlantic Beach Village Hall and the Number Six School in Woodmere. North Lawrence residents who live north of the railroad tracks and who previously voted at the now closed Number One School will pull levers at the high school, while people living in the Village of Lawrence, south of the tracks, will now use the middle school as their precinct. Anyone with questions about where to vote can call the district offices at (516) 295-7030.
Hewlett-Woodmere budget
Despite some reservations, on April 20 the Hewlett-Woodmere school board unanimously approved the proposed 2005-06 budget, which carries a near-double-digit increase. More than 30 residents attended the May 4 budget review session to voice concerns about the increased school taxes they may pay as a result of the budget hike, which district officials attribute mainly to mandated costs beyond their control.
Some of those costs include increases in the teachers' retirement system, health insurance, special education and utilities. District officials said they had hoped to bring a budget proposal to the public with a lower increase, but found it was impossible to do that. "This has been a very, very difficult year as far as developing the budget," said Dr. Peter Weber, assistant superintendent for business, during the May 4 review session. "These are costs the board has absolutely no control over."
The proposed budget hike would result in a tax levy increase of 10.93 percent, boosting the estimated tax rate to $362.31 per $100 of the assessed value of a home. For a typical home in District 14 with an appraised value of $467,800, the estimated taxes would be $7,170. That would amount to an increase of 1.7 percent in Hewlett and 9.2 percent in Woodmere, based on the new assessments, according to the Hewlett-Woodmere budget brochure.
According to the Nassau County Assessor's Office, a home in District 14 priced at $551,800 would see a tax bill of $9,996, which is a 13.32 percent increase in taxes.
Many residents spoke out about the budget at the school board forum. "Somehow there has to be a generalization that the general community cannot support these increases," said Woodsburgh resident Dr. Lee Weitzman. "I think there comes a time where there is a limit of how much homeowners can pay taxes."
"The only way this board will get the message is if the budget is voted down, and I hope it is," said Hewlett Harbor resident Lou Reesh, a District 14 resident since 1938 and a Woodmere High School alumnus. "There is fat to be cut, but nobody wants to look at it."
Early in the process, district officials were facing a budget of more than $83 million - a potential 12 percent increase - before cuts were made, district officials said.
Corinne Boni, president of the Citizens Committee of Hewlett-Woodmere, comprised mainly of senior citizens, said she got 17 calls from members of her group who were outraged when they learned about the budget increase. "These 17 people said on behalf of their families that they will vote no," said Boni. "I am going to fight this particular budget as best I can."
Representatives of the Central Council PTA, who attended the meeting, urged the public to support the budget for the sake of students who would benefit from the existing programs as well as a few additions. "[The proposed budget] will continue to provide the same programming that we've become accustomed to here at Hewlett-Woodmere," said Teri Stein, Hewlett High School PTA co-president. "We need to support our budget or we will stand to lose our top-notch programming that is Hewlett-Woodmere."
Central Council PTA Co-President Stephanie Price, who lives in the Gibson section of Valley Stream on the District 13 border, said that despite the high tax increase, it is well worth it to send her children to a highly acclaimed school system like Hewlett-Woodmere instead of the neighboring district, which, she said, does not offer as many resources. "It is going to be a sacrifice in my household, but we are willing to make the sacrifice," said Price.
While district officials have stated that the proposed budget mostly maintains the status quo, it also includes money to add four new seventh- and eighth-grade basketball and volleyball teams at Woodmere Middle School and also to expand the music program due to increasing enrollment.
If the budget is defeated, the district would operate on a contingency budget, which cannot increase by more than 3.24 percent, resulting in staff reductions, increased class sizes and programs' being scaled back, district officials said.
More than 1 percent of the budget increase, or $865,000, would be earmarked for capital improvements to some of the district buildings, according to Weber. The projects include the replacement of the heating pipes at Ogden Elementary School and Franklin Early Childhood Center, repair of the Woodmere Middle School roof and replacement of a set of doors by the middle school auditorium that are old and worn, Weber said. At Hewlett High, the tennis courts would be repaired and resurfaced and the nets replaced. The school's fuel tank monitoring system would also be replaced.
Voting on the proposed budget in District 14 will take place on Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Woodmere Education Center, 1 Johnson Place.
Comments about this story? ACoen@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 210.
