By:Jeff Lipton
The proposed budget of $87,326,933 represents a 4.7 percent increase over the current austerity budget of $83,419,384. The district has been operating on contingency during the current school year, after voters rejected the district-s proposed budget twice last June.
The school board unanimously adopted the 2004-05 proposed budget at a workshop on Tuesday, April 20. Using a slide show, Dr. Fitzsimons spelled out how crucial it is for the budget to be passed. If we sustain another contingency budget, it will be a real crisis, he said during his presentation, held at the Lawrence Middle School auditorium.
If the budget is defeated, it will create tremendous pressure for the board, the superintendent said. I hope we will get positive results and it will not be a 64 percent no vote [like last June] but a 64 percent yes vote.
By being forced onto austerity this year, the district had to deplete its reserve account, which is earmarked for workers- compensation and unemployment costs. The austerity, or contingency, budget resulted in the loss of elementary school library programs and high school elective course offerings, district administrators said. No new equipment was purchased, and the ability to upgrade computers and software was hampered. The district was also forced to spend $1.7 million to replace fire escapes and the Lawrence Middle School roof, since a $20 million bond was defeated twice last year.
A second contingency budget would mean that the district would be forced to immediately reduce its proposed budget by $1.9 million and be allowed only a 2.4 percent budget hike, requiring the district to cut 30 staff positions. That-s on top of the proposed cut of 34.7 staffers in the current proposed budget. That would result in an increase in class size, deep program cuts and reductions of psychology, social work and nursing services, district officials said.
There would also be a substantial reduction in co-curricular and athletic programs, including clubs, after-school activities and performing groups, Fitzsimons added.
This is not a scare tactic, he said. I-m not going to tell you that we-re going to eliminate athletics or clubs. We-re going to try to hold onto class size.
Officials said the district would be forced to eliminate the use of school buildings and fields after school hours and on weekends for all groups. Students would be directly affected, since textbooks, library books and computer software would be cut, as well as health and welfare services for all public and non-public school students, district officials said.
Nancy Piccirillo, co-president of Lawrence Central Council PTA, said, It-s imperative that the budget pass this year. Another contingency budget would have devastating effects on the entire community.
In explaining the proposed reduction of 34.7 staff members, which would save about $1.5 million, the superintendent said, Knowing that it is significant to regain the confidence of the community, we wanted to take a look at the staffing at all positions.
The board wants to send a strong signal to the community that we will do everything we can to be [fiscally] responsible, Fitzsimons said.
The major increases in the proposed 4.7 percent, or $3.9 million, budget-to-budget hike will be in salaries, employee benefits, which have risen 15 percent, pension contributions, transportation and contracted services. Employee benefits for the administration are rising from $718,783 to $923,841, and for teachers and other staffers, from $9,395,835 to $11,845,281.
Of the 34.7 positions proposed to be cut, 24.7 are faculty positions and 10 are support staff.
Revenues
The amount to be raised by taxes is $78,721,829, a 9.3 percent increase over the 2003-04 contingency of $71,987,652. This year the district is expected to receive $7,005,104 in state aid, a 1.21 percent decrease, in addition to $1.6 million from other sources, which is a 31.65 percent reduction in non-tax revenues.
Education is not cheap, but ignorance is more expensive, the superintendent said. I-ve been in education a long time, and when the Lawrence Public Schools was mentioned when I was in Connecticut or New Jersey, people took notice. You had a national reputation and people were very proud of the Lawrence Public Schools. Over the last three to four years that [reputation] has eroded.
Fitzsimons said it will take plenty of hard work to return the school district to its former glory.
Stephen Clements, Lawrence Teachers Association president, emphasized that no administrative cuts are being proposed for this year, even though the district is saying that a position has been cut. That position, he said, was cut last year. He called it disingenuous for the district to perpetrate that myth.
I-m not saying make the cuts, but let-s at least be honest about it, Clements said. To say we-ve made administrative cuts, we can-t play that game.
One district resident asked whether class size should be increased from about 20 students to 22 or 23 to reduce staff and save money. Why can-t we increase it by another two children? he said. I-m a New York City teacher, and I-ve seen class size higher.
Fitzsimons said it was extremely important to retain class size at around 20, especially in the early grades.
Dr. Asher Mansdorf, a school board member, said residents move into District 15 and away from the city because of the smaller classes. They like the class sizes here, Mansdorf said. It-s not 24 like New York City. We value smaller class sizes.
Pointing to the results of recent scores on the English Language Arts and math tests, which he said were near the bottom of the county, the resident asked, But are we getting the value?
Fitzsimons said students have been showing vast improvement on English Regents, math Regents, fifth-grade social studies tests and eighth-grade ELA. In addition, he said, 88 percent of students who graduate from Lawrence High School move on to two- or four-year colleges, which is the highest percentage among similar high schools in Nassau County.
He added that the district-s students have garnered a number of awards and honors in such programs as the prestigious Intel Science Talent Search and Cocoa-Cola Scholars, while many have earned Advanced Placement honors or been National Merit winners.
Much of the expenditures are devoted to transporting non-public-school children to 128 different schools, since they are entitled to be bused within 15 miles of their home. The district is proposing to spend about $7.5 million on transportation in 2004-05. Hopefully, we are not paying for buses with one or two children on them, said one resident.
If a building is leased under a consolidation plan the district has been working on which would close either the Number One, Number Four or Number Five Schools the money would be returned to the taxpayers, school board members said, adding that the savings would be reflected in the following year-s taxes.
In a phone interview, board member Dr. David Sussman said that closing a school would amount to perhaps a 1 or 2 percent savings in the budget. He said the district has to take a closer look at the teachers- contract, which accounts for 40 to 50 percent of the budget. We have one of the most lucrative teachers- contracts. You have to look at what we are paying for and what we-re getting for it, said Sussman, referring to disappointing results on state tests in recent years.
He said the teachers- contract is up at the end of next year.
It-s important that we put out a superior product, and the children are getting the education they deserve, Sussman said. As to how we could provide that education, it-s through accountability. The teachers have to be held accountable.
Mansdorf said, The most important thing we can do is help the community feel the money is being spent wisely. The most important thing is that a kid gets a good education. If we do that, everything will fall into place. I voted for bringing the budget to the community and letting the community make a decision on it now.
Pamela Greenbaum, a board trustee, said that if the budget were to go down in defeat again, it will have a compounding effect, and we will see two years worth of problems.
A budget hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4, at 8 p.m. at Lawrence Middle School.
