By ALEX COSTELLO
Two of five school board members, Barbara Speight and Jo-Ellen Sarnelli, were not in attendance. President Diana Caracciolo, Vice President Michael Hastava and Trustee Steven L. Foster all voted in favor of the budget.
"When we were developing the budget, we put a lot of work into what we should do and what programs we should do," said Hastava. "And it's a budget that we as a board were very proud of."
The 1.8 percent spending increase, combined with a loss of about $100,000 in revenue - mostly interest on district investments - will mean an increase in the property tax levy of just under $654,000. According to an estimate by the Nassau County Assessor's Office, with the average home in Island Park valued at $440,800 in 2009-10, the school taxes on that home would be $3,894, an increase of just under $100 over the current year - despite the $9,200 increase in that average home's value.
In contrast, the 2009-10 school taxes on the average home in Oceanside, which is valued at $492,800, will total about $6,325, the assessor's office estimated.
Hastava said that over the past few years, Island Park has tried to keep its budget increase as low as possible and under the county average. "This year," he said, "we're way under it."
The largest budget item is $13.6 million for employee salaries, a 1.7 percent increase over the current budget. The second-largest expenditure is employee benefits, at $4.4 million, a decrease of $186,000. The rest of the budget funds maintenance, supplies, the district's various offices, such as psychology and health services, and activities and athletics.
If the budget is voted down on May 19, the school board can put it up for a second vote in June. According to Superintendent Edward Price, the board can offer the same budget or modify it. If it is voted down a second time, however, the district will be subject to a mandatory contingency budget, which would be $101,000 smaller than the proposed budget. Price said that if that were to happen, the cuts would come from equipment purchases, which he said would be detrimental to students.
"All the contractual items that are in place would continue," Hastava explained, "and other programs would have to be cut, unfortunately, at the expense of the children."
But Price said he is confident that the voters will approve the spending plan. "The budget the board has approved and developed is a budget that's respectful of the concerns of taxpayers in this climate in which we're living," he said. "And also, it maintains the educational programs that I think this community has come to expect for its children.
"It's respectful of both sides," Price added. "The needs of the kids, which is our responsibility, but also the needs of the people that have to pay for it."
Comments about this story? ACostello@liherald.com or
(516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
