By JOSEPH KELLARD
But he joined the majority of village voters anyway.
³I voted for it, but I can¹t really tell you why,² Bridgeman said. ³I guess I have just always supported the public schools; they¹re important.²
Bridgeman was among the 339 Island Park residents who cast votes in favor of the budget, while 252 others voted to turn it down. The $29.4 million spending plan for 2007-08 represents a 3.8 percent increase to the tax levy increase, the amount of funds to be raised through property taxes, a sizable cut from the current budget containing a 6.3 percent tax levy hike.
Asked about those who voted against the budget, Bridgeman said, ³The people that are opposing the budget because they don¹t have kids in the schools or because they¹re just against taxes, they¹re crazy.²
Ginny Davis of Island Park hasn¹t had children in Island Park schools since the mid-1980s, yet she still comes out each year to support the budget. ³ Š When my child graduated, we were pleased with the education at the time, and I have always voted for it,² Davis said.
Board of Education President Steve Foster ran unopposed and was reelected to the board, receiving 461 votes. Foster, who has been on the board since 1980, was elected to another five-year term. In 2006, when two candidates ran for the seat of a retiring incumbent, Island Parkers voted to pass the district¹s $28.1 million budget by a vote of 605 to 481. Generally, fewer people turn out to cast their votes for or against the budget when a board election is unopposed.
³I don¹t try to figure out or play around with voting results much, but the lower turnout was probably because nothing was contested,² said Superintendent Dr. Ed Price. ³There wasn¹t any competition for the board, and there was no real issue that was looming.²
The new $29.4 million spending plan included no new major expenses. Both Price and Foster said the budget is similar to recent spending plans, maintaining programs for students in all areas, from technology and the arts to staff development, as well as the district¹s commitment to benchmark testing, the data from which it develops instruction.
³We¹re certainly thankful that the community continues to support our programs, and we feel that we have a true comprehensive program ‹ academics, arts, athletics, and so forth ‹ which really prepares the children well for the future,² Price said.
Price attributed the reduced tax levy increase to two main factors: lower interest rates and the district¹s inclusion in a banking consortium with other villages, school districts and libraries, which provided better rates.
Moreover, Island Park applied the increase in state aid it received toward reducing the tax levy increase. State senators and Gov. Eliot Spitzer struck a deal that netted Long Island more than $205 million in additional education aid, and Price said the foundational aid the governor provided came out to about $40,000 for Island Park, a bit more than last year. On top of this, the state Legislature provided about $100,000.
However, the district was hit with a substantial 38 percent increase on its bus contract after the budget was set. Past increases generally averaged about 3 to 4 percent, and the district¹s bus contract had been renewed for many years. But this year the bus company refused to renew, according to Price. After discussions between the two parties, the district and bus company agreed on a one-year contract under the nearly 40 percent increase.
Price said that the district is exploring ways to rearrange its busing to condense or reduce some services, which may have an impact on the number of late buses the district can run.
Marc Beja contributed to this story. Comments about it? JKellard@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
