By Nick Buglione
Passed on Friday, May 2, the Legislature's spending plan would restore $3 million of the $4 million in East Meadow School District state aid Pataki sought to cut in his budget.
"Given the financial challenges facing all levels of government this year, it is critical that the state provide the resources school districts need in order to keep a lid on local school property taxes," said Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City). "At the same time, these restorations are critical to ensuring that our children have the best possible education and our teachers have the resources they need to be effective."
Pataki, who called the plan "fundamentally out of balance," could veto the budget, though legislative leaders say they would have enough votes to override.
If that's so, East Meadow schools would receive $27.2 million in state aid and have to raise the property tax levy about 7.6 percent under its 2003-04 budget. "I would say that's a pretty good estimate," said Leon Campo, assistant superintendent for finance and administration.
Still unsure of how much money they would get from the state, school officials previously stated at the district's second budget presentation on April 29 that the tax levy could go up anywhere from 7.2 to 8.9 percent.
Superintendent Robert Dillon stressed, though, that no programs would be cut or teachers laid off under the $126-million 2003-04 budget. Last year the district narrowly passed a plan that raised taxes 10 percent, cut programs and laid off teachers.
Figuring out how hard the 2003-04 school tax increase will hit each homeowner's pocket is complicated.
This year the adjusted base proportion--the formula used to determine the percentage of taxes the four classes of property owners in a school district pay--has been reconfigured and only recently made available. The four classes of property are identified as houses, condominiums, commercial plots and utilities.
"As far as the adjusted base proportions are concerned, the office of the assessor has already submitted them to the county Legislature and they were approved on Monday, [April 28]," said Heidi Silvera, a spokeswoman for Charles O'Shea, chairman of the Nassau County Board of Assessors.
In East Meadow, as with other neighborhoods in Nassau, changes in the adjusted base proportion have shifted the percentage of the tax burden away from the other classes and onto homeowners. That shift, according to Campo, will add an extra percent on the school district's already increasing tax levy.
Overall, homeowners will pay about $160 in taxes for every $100 of their home's assessed value, Campo said.
For the purposes of calculating property taxes, Nassau County is basing its assessments for the first time on 1 percent of a home's true value. So, an East Meadow house worth $350,000 will carry an assessed value of $3,500. Under the 2003-04 school budget, that homeowner will pay $5,600 in school taxes.
Hefty increases in employee pension costs, health insurance premiums, contractual obligations and BOCES-related expenses, along with shortfalls in state aid, have necessitated the tax increase, said Dillon at the district's recent budget presentation.
"We have commenced a letter writing campaign to our governor on restoring state aid," Dillon said. Parents, students, teachers and administrators from East Meadow also went to Albany on May 3 to lobby for more state funding.
"The board of education and administration have made every attempt to balance the needs of our students with our responsibility to the community's taxpayers," said Charles Goldberg, board president. "With the community's continued support, we can and will weather these difficult times while continuing to provide students with the resources they need to be successful."
Though originally set for Tuesday, May 20, the Legislature passed a bill last week delaying school budget votes until Tuesday, June 3. It's hoped that by then the state budget will be in place, so school officials will know much money they'll be getting in aid.
Voting on June 3 will take place from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the elementary schools.
New vote scheduled
The East Meadow School District's budget vote has been postponed from Tuesday, May 20 to Tuesday, June 3. The school and library board elections have also been reset for that date. The district has thus rescheduled its final budget presentation from Tuesday, May 6 to Thursday, May 22 at 7:30 p.m. at the Salisbury Center, 718 The Plain Road.
