By: Jeff Lipton
Early on in the budget process, district officials were considering a budget of more than $83 million, which would have meant a 12 percent increase, before $310,000 in cuts were made, district officials said.
The proposed budget hike would result in a tax levy increase of 10.93 percent, boosting the estimated tax rate to $362.31 per $100 of the assessed value of a home. For a home in District 14 with a median appraised value of $467,800, the estimated taxes would be $7,170. That would amount to an increase of 1.7 percent in Hewlett and 9.2 percent in Woodmere, according to a budget brochure that will be mailed to every District 14 home. Homeowners can estimate their 2005-06 taxes by logging on to the county Department of Assessment Web site at www.mynassauproperty.com, selecting "property search" and multiplying the 2005-06 total assessed value by 3.623 to get the estimated taxes.
The budget details were outlined during the April 20 school board meeting, at which the board approved the budget by a vote of 7-0. District 14 residents will vote on whether to approve the budget on Tuesday, May 17, following an overview of the proposed budget for the public on May 4.
A 16 percent increase in the tax levy, which had been reported earlier in the budget process, was based on preliminary data and has been lowered to just under 11 percent, said Dr. Peter Weber, assistant superintendent for business. He said some residents would see a 3 percent increase or decrease in taxes, while others would see a 5 to 9 percent increase, and possibly even higher.
"We believe this represents a fair budget that sustains our key programs," said Weber. "Hopefully, next year we will be in better shape.
"This has been a very difficult budget year," he added. "The goal all along has been to maintain existing programs and essentially maintain existing class size."
If the budget is defeated, the district will be forced to operate on a contingency budget, which may not increase by more than 3.24 percent, resulting in staff reductions and an increase in class size, district officials said. Programs would also be scaled back or eliminated, they said.
District 14 officials said they are in a tough spot, since estimated state aid will decrease from $5,460,000 to $5,288,000. The tax levy, or the amount the school district must collect in taxes, will increase from $65,396,738 to $72,547,059.
Some of the 10 or so residents who showed up during the April 20 school board meeting expressed concern about the proposed budget increase and tax levy. Robert Jay, a former school board member, said he was worried that the public might not pass the budget. "And this community has supported the school district's budgets year after year," Jay said.
Private-school parent Stephen Wallach of Woodmere said that if the budget were passed, its increase would be three times that of the Consumer Price Index, which has increased 2.70 percent. "That's a lot for us to swallow," Wallach said.
Board member Steve Witt said it was unfair to compare the increase in the CPI with the increase in the budget.
Teri Stein, co-president of the Hewlett High School PTA, said that the district must maintain services and programs, whether the budget increase is double or triple that of the CPI. "The budget is higher than what people would like. But it's not higher than expected, with all the costs going up."
District 14 resident Mona Garofalo said she has a lot of confidence in Weber. "I am very happy about the budget," she said. "It is being spent in the right places - for the children."
But Corinne Boni, president of the Citizens Committee of Hewlett-Woodmere, who has lived in the district for more than 37 years, said she has received many phone calls from residents who are concerned about the budget. She is worried about residents on fixed incomes who can't shoulder the burden of such an increase. She said that when she fought against the budget on three prior occasions over the years, it was defeated, and she intends to fight this one as well. "If the budget stays at a 9.57 percent increase, I'm going to fight it, and I'm not making threats by saying that," Boni said. "I will go through the same routine [as the three other times] and try to kill the school budget as best I can."
Superintendent Dr. Les Omotani said that even though he grew up in poverty, his parents strongly supported education. "My parents spent every dime they had on education," he said. "I don't want the kids who go through Hewlett-Woodmere to be denied these opportunities.
"This budget preserves the quality and breadth of what we do here in the district," said Omotani.
Based on enrollment trends, there would be a couple of staff reductions, but that would not result in a significant increase in class size, district officials said. One position the district has proposed cutting from the budget is the home economics teacher at Woodmere Middle School. "It's just a shame," said the teacher, Sharon Morelli, who has worked at the school for 10 years. "I will miss the kids."
But Weber said the board has not yet voted to abolish the position, since it must check with the state on whether it is a mandated position. In addition, the proposed budget would return summer school to the district so that students do not have to travel to Lynbrook for the extra help.
More than 1 percent of the budget increase, or $865,000, would be earmarked for capital improvements to some of the district buildings, according to Weber. The projects include the replacement of the heating pipes at Ogden Elementary School and Franklin Early Childhood Center, repair of the Woodmere Middle School roof and replacement of a set of doors by the middle school auditorium that are old and worn, Weber said. At Hewlett High School, the tennis courts would be repaired and resurfaced and the nets replaced. The school's fuel tank monitoring system would also be replaced.
Comments about this story? JLipton@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 204.
