By:JOSEPH KELLARD
The proposed spending plan for the Oceanside library is $3,457,309, an increase of almost $300,000 above the current budget.
"The library is at the hub of the community's educational, recreational and cultural activity," said Evelyn Rothschild, the library's director. "The library board has always worked diligently to control the cost of running the library, and for the coming year, as a result of careful oversight, the complete cost of library service for the entire family will increase less than $20 for the average Oceanside home. We are very proud of the fact that out of the 54 libraries in Nassau County, the Oceanside library has the sixth-highest circulation of library materials, while our per capita support is well below the mean."
Florence Mensch and Ellen Sullivan - who were elected to fill seats on the Board of Trustees vacated by incumbents who moved from the voting district in 2002 and 2003 - were elected to five-year terms on April 27. (See story, page 3.)
The proposed spending plan for the Island Park library is $977,953, a 5 percent increase above this year. "The increased use of the library and increased requests for materials has gone up 47 percent from 2002 to 2003," said library Director Ronnie Swett. "We've had a tremendous response for our programs for the children, so we are increasing their programs. Also, employee benefit costs have gone up, which is a cost that everyone nationwide must tackle. And we continue to provide quality customer service and materials and programming that are needed and enjoyed by the community."
Sal Sinnona, who last year ran unopposed for the library board seat vacated by Thomas Lauro, must run again for a five-year term.
In the Oceanside school board elections, incumbents Robert Transom and Maryann Lehrer will run unopposed for five-year terms.
Oceanside's proposed school budget of $99,404,517 represents a 8.6 percent increase above the current $91,452,771 budget. School officials said the increase is largely the result of startup costs for a $31 million bond issue passed in January 2003 to fund a district-wide capital improvement project.
Some $2.5 million from this bond issue will be added to the budget this year. Other areas of the budget's greatest increases are salaries, which are up by $2.7 million, health insurance, by $138,523, and contributions to employee retirement, by $35,694. Costs for special-education transportation, tuitions and utilities are also up several thousand dollars.
"I think the Board of Education has put together a budget that is both effective and efficient," Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown said. "Our students have won many awards in science research and Advanced Placement scholarships, and at the same time our spending per pupil is $2,500 below the Nassau County average. This is a budget that this fair to the students and fair to the taxpayers."
In Island Park, Michael Hastava and Alan Pozin will run for the school board seat that Catherine Boddy, a board member since November 1993, will vacate.
Island Park's proposed school budget of $24.7 million is a 4.9 percent increase over the current budget. School officials said the increase is largely the result of increases in salaries and benefits.
Overall, 45 percent of Island Park's budget will go toward salaries, 14 percent to benefits, 20 percent to tuition for the district's 300 high school students, and 6 percent to tuition for special-education students who attend private schools or BOCES. "We have no new initiatives this year," schools Superintendent Ed Price said, "but we are maintaining the program that I think the people have come to expect in Island Park: small class sizes, broad extra-curricular activities where every child can participate, a state-of-the-art technology program, and facilities that maintain a pleasant learning environment for the children. And we've done this while keeping Island Park's tax levy one of the lowest in Nassau County."
