By Nick Buglione
The $126-million school budget, which represents a 5.3 percent expense increase from last year, garnered 2,475 yes votes to 1,675 no and will take effect July 1.
Though no programs will be cut or teachers laid off, the tax levy will rise 7.6 percent and see homeowners pay about $160 on every $100 of their home's assessed value.
It's a stark contrast to last year's spending plan, which increased taxes 10 percent while slashing programs and instructional staff. Furious over the cutbacks, residents hotly contested that budget, and it passed by fewer than 100 votes out of more than 5,000 cast.
Myriad reasons contributed to the wide margin by which the 2003-04 budget passed. Among those was better communication with the community, according to Leon Campo, East Meadow School District assistant superintendent for finance and administration.
"We are very sympathetic to the plight of the East Meadow taxpayer, and I think there was a much greater understanding to what the problems are," Campo said. "There was much more communication with the public."
This year the district convened a much larger community Financial Advisory Committee far earlier than usual and held two public hearings in February and March, at which other residents could offer input about the budget.
Superintendent Robert Dillon also offered residents a preliminary look inside the 2003-04 figures before the board of education adopted the plan on April 10.
"I think that the whole perspective was really different this year," said Lauren Lev, an East Meadow mother of two who, like many others, thought residents learned of the district's financial troubles too late in the process last year. "It's almost like the problems last year came up like a freight train," she said.
"I think they made an honest, concerted effort to at least alert the community before the [budget vote] was coming forward."
Amid last year's cutbacks, charges of financial mismanagement began to surface, prompting the state comptroller to audit the East Meadow School District's books. The results of that investigation were made public in April--results Campo believes cleared the district of any purported wrongdoing and led to increased support of this year's budget.
The report found that about $10,000 was misspent, which Campo says is a pittance when taking into account the district's multi-million-dollar budget.
"This is a very complex and large enterprise," Campo said. "This audit is a reflection of how well we're managing it."
Shortfalls in state aid, coupled with rising expenses associated with transportation, staff contracts and health insurance, put the school district in dire straits. Even though this year's budget passed, East Meadow schools are by no means out of the woods, Campo said.
District officials project the state will grapple with money problems for at least the next two years, casting doubt over what they can expect to get in terms of aid.
"We need to be extremely careful as to how we spend our resources," Campo said. "We are walking a financial tightrope.
"We need to find ways to meet the needs of the children and our facilities without expanding our employment base."
In other election day news, the East Meadow Public Library's $2.9-million 2003-04 budget passed 2,372 votes to 1,526.
Budget vote breakdown by school
Yes No
Barnum Woods 838 353
Bowling Green 630 363
McVey 384 465
Meadowbrook 336 208
Parkway 248 259
Absentee ballots 39 27
Total 2,475 1,675
