By Nicole Falco
Superintendent of Schools Ronald Valenti presented a tentative budget for the 2003-04 school year to the board on Feb. 4 that included few budget increases attributable to new initiatives. Instead, the largest increases are contractual, including health benefits, transportation and retirement benefits.
The tentative budget, as proposed, is $70.2 million, which is a $5.2 million, or 8.1 percent, increase over the current year's budget. For taxpayers, using last year's assessed valuations, the tax rate would increase by $3.52 per $100 of assessed value, from $35.61 to $39.13. Based on an average assessment of $5,500, a homeowner would see an estimated increase of $193 in his tax bill.
Contractual increases, including $1 million for retirement benefits for teachers and civil-service employees, an increase of more than $600,000 in health insurance costs and a $250,000 increase in transportation costs, are only worsened by the state's bleak economic outlook.
According to Gov. George Pataki's proposed budget, the high school district stands to receive $9.7 million in state aid for 2003-2004, which is at least $700,000 less than the district received for the current year, Dr. Valenti said.
Valenti remained optimistic, saying, "We have every reason to believe when all is said and done we will probably get what we have gotten this year."
Still, last year the state's budget, proposed in January, was not finalized until August. The board is expected to adopt a budget by April; residents will vote in May. Further compounding the issue is the expected realignment of tax-base proportions, which could shift more of the tax burden onto single-family homeowners.
"It's obvious this year it's going to be very difficult to put a budget together," said Trustee Bill Stris. "I don't have to tell you all the things going on. You have your own difficulties in your own households. . . . I think it's obvious we are going to have to make cuts. I know it's not going to please some people."
Even with rising costs, Valenti said he would like to see the academic strides forward made by the district to continue. Taking into account a projected enrollment increase of 127 students district-wide, or 3 percent, for next year, the proposed budget includes staff increases that include five classroom teachers, two special educators and a part-time guidance counselor. The staff increases would help the district maintain its reduced-class-size policy of no more than 29 students in core-subject classes.
The proposed budget calls for an additional 1.4 teachers -- a full-time teacher plus one to teach an additional few periods -- at a cost of approximately $77,000, in order to expand and strengthen the district's academic intervention programs.
Student performance
Valenti cited only a slight increase in the eighth grade's performance on the state mandated English-Language Arts assessments. Fifty-five percent of eighth-graders scored at mastery levels three and four in 2002, compared with the district average of 53 percent between 1999 and 2001. The district has fared better on the math assessments, with 74 percent scoring at mastery levels three and four in 2002 compared with the district average of 54 percent between 1999 and 2001.
Valenti said the district would continue its efforts to purchase new textbooks for Regents-level and advanced-placement courses. The district has proposed $300,000 to satisfy this initiative, the same as this year.
Another initiative calls for two full-time teachers, at a cost of $110,000, to pilot an SAT elective to strengthen students' verbal and math test-taking skills. The elective would be available to 11th-graders. It is not a mandated course, and the Princeton Review Program would still be available, but students would receive a half-credit for completion of the one-semester course.
Valenti compared students' performance on the SATs with average performance of students on the state and national level between 1998 and 2000. The average verbal score in Valley Stream was 481, compared with 495 at the state level and 505 nationally. The average math score in Valley Stream was 508, compared with 503 for the state and 514 nationally.
The proposed budget also calls for initiatives to increase the number of students enrolled in advanced-placement courses and the number who take and pass advanced-placement tests, which can translate to college credit. Valenti estimated a cost of $7,500 for this initiative.
Other tentative proposals include expanding the closed-lunch program to include eighth-graders beginning in September, at a cost of $66,000 over last year's budget. The district will continue to employ a residency inspector to combat illegal enrollment, and has tentative plans to continue its technology plan, at a budget increase of $242,000. The district also hoped to include money to improve school facilities.
More cuts to come
The board asked Valenti to go back to his budget and find $500,000 more in savings.
Even as the board voted to make the cuts, Trustee Andy Walters said, "We're going to have to do better than that. One hundred thousand dollars out of $5 million is nothing."
The board asked Valenti and his staff to reassess the entire budget to assess possible areas where costs might be cut.
