By Nick Buglione
The county has paid the school district that amount since 1995, on behalf of the untaxed resident doctors living at the Nassau University Medical Center whose children go to local schools. Currently 45 children residing at the hospital are enrolled in the East Meadow School District.
Although County Executive Thomas Suozzi approved this year's budget after the Legislature passed an amendment to remove the $318,000 payments from the spending plan, his representatives say he's working on getting an outside source to foot the bill, possibly the hospital.
The head of the public benefit corporation that runs the hospital, however, said the county has not yet contacted him on the matter.
"We haven't discussed it," said Richard Turan, president and CEO of the Nassau Health Care Corporation. "My feeling is that the hospital is part of this community, and we would like to do something. Unfortunately, we don't have the resources."
Grappling with its own financial issues, the hospital is simply not capable of shelling out another $318,000 a year, Turan said.
"I really don't know where people think we're going to get this money from," he added. "We'd be willing to talk to anybody we could to solve this problem."
Suozzi and Democrats in the Legislature have asserted that the Nassau Health Care Corporation -- which took control of the NUMC from the county in 1999 -- should now be responsible for making the payments. Yet, the acquisition contract states the corporation is not obligated to do so.
"I think the county is going to forget all about this," said Legis. Norma Gonsalves (R-East Meadow), who is skeptical the money will ever get to East Meadow. "I'm still waiting to hear from the county executive on whether he's found another source."
If the Nassau Health Care Corporation or a different entity does not take up the cost, then the burden will fall on East Meadow taxpayers. In that case, school district officials estimate property taxes would go up $35 per household each year. Democratic legislators think the figure is closer to $16.
"We're not so hopeful [the county executive will find another source for the reimbursements]," said Leon Campo, East Meadow School District assistant superintendent for finance and administration. "This puts our current budget in a state of unbalance. We had an appropriation in our budget that we counted on."
Now, he said, the district is short $318,000, which it planned on having for its 2002-2003 fiscal year.
Passed amid much controversy last May, the East Meadow School District's 2002-2003 budget already cut instructional staff by 8 percent and raised property taxes almost $7 per every $100 of assessed house value owing to revenue shortfalls.
"Now we have to spend $318,000 less. Where that's going to come from is yet to be seen. So that's the dilemma," Campo said. "We can't change the tax base right now. We can spend less this year, which raises the specter of staff or program reductions."
The district could dip into its $5-million reserve fund, but Campo believes that is not a practical solution.
"Most of these reserves are earmarked for certain things, like workers compensation," he said.
The district is still asking parents to contact Suozzi on this issue and have set up a form e-mail on its Web site, www.eastmeadow.k12.ny.us. Residents need only fill in their name and click send. The district urges each person only send the e-mail once.
According to Gonsalves, even though the Nassau County budget Suozzi approved no longer includes the $318,000, he can still veto the legislation passed on Oct. 21 that repealed the law initiating the reimbursement payments and restore the funding.
"He still has time to do it," Gonsalves said, noting that he has 30 days from the passing of the bill to decide. "He still has not acted on this."
