By Richard Tedesco
On the issue of the proposed $92.7 million district 15 school budget, it seemed a bit like the world turned upside down as public school advocacy candidates Pam Greenbaum, Andrew Levey and Maribel Cancelliere uniformly voiced opposition to passage of what would be a 0.9 percent increase over last year's budget.
"I don't think there's enough money in the budget for 'what-ifs'," said Pam Greenbaum, the embattled public school advocate.
Levey argues that maintaining what is essentially a zero-growth budget for the coming year will only mean the board will face an 8 percent increase or better next year to keep pace with inflation and rising maintenance costs.
Cancelliere who has four children in the school system, called the budget "fiscally irresponsible." She said the board had lost its perspective: "The board has taken its focus off the children. It saddens me."
ALPS President Bruce Scher said the grassroots group is neither supporting nor opposing passage of the proposed budget. "I'm not sure about this budget. I'm not sure if it's a responsible budget or not. It doesn't look like it is," said Scher. "It's below inflation or what austerity would provide us."
Responding to rumors that the Lawrence Teachers Association is mounting organized opposition to the budget, P.J. Turkosky, president of the association, said the teachers are officially remaining neutral on the issue.
Dr. John Fitzsimons said that the net result of defeating the proposed budget - apart from the austerity strictures it would maintain - would be the loss of $500,000 in a computer equipment grant.
The trio of public school advocates takes issue with the projected cost of the proposed pre-K busing initiative for private school students, claiming the line item of $600,000 for the new program seriously underestimates the cost.
Nick Fabrizio, president of Independent Coach, told board members at one recent public budget session that the cost of the new program could range ffrom $480,000 to $1.2 million, depending on the number of students participating and the inclusion of matrons on the buses.
The board plans to do without the matrons, and based the budget estimate on an informal canvas of area elementary schools that indicated an additional pre-K student population of 300 children.
The candidates widely perceived to be advocates for the private schools, Dr. David Sussman, Nahum Marcus and Dr. Sol Blisko, argue that the budget provides sufficiently for the new program.
Apart from the budget itself, the biggest issue separating the two slates of candidates is the disposition of the anticipated $27.5 million windfall from the sale of the Number One school property.
Greenbaum, Levey and Cancelliere favor immediately committing funds for emergency repairs needed at Lawrence High School and other buildings in the district, with the balance to be committed to a capital reserve fund to address a projected $33 million in long-term funding.
The level of those costs is one issue that also divides the two sides, with a debate currently raging on whether the emergency repairs will cost $13 million or $7 million - the competing estimates from two architectural firms that have drafted reports to the board.
The Sussman, Marcus and Blisko camp agrees that, in any case, those emergency repairs should be addressed in short order.
With regard to the rest of the funds, they believe a reserve fund should be established to address additional capital needs, with the remaining surplus - as much as one-third of the $27.5 million - to be committed to some form of tax relief for homeonwers in the district.
As Dr. Blisko puts it, the board's fiduciary responsbility calls for it to proffer a tax rebate "beyond a reasonable cushion."
The other issue that has been in the background - and at times the foregeround - in the back and forth between the two sides is the prospect for further consolidation of Lawrence public schools.
Marcus, an ordained rabbi who works for Bear Stern said the inclination toward consolidation is not a universally held view among private school parents. "There is a side that believes in consolidating the schools and lowering taxes," he said. "But most people just don't want to be treated as a piranna."
Marcus's impulse to run is informed by his own experience as the parent of a special needs child. He also wants to restore civil discourse to board meetings. "It doesn't matter whether our children are in public or private school. They need to be treated equally," he said.
In opposition to Marcus, Cancelliere presents herself as a candidate who can represent minority parents, who currently have no advocate on the board. "They have children in the district, but they're not represented," the Inwood real estate agent said.
Dr. Sussman, the current board vice president who served as president from 1996 to 2000, is promoting himself as the candidate best able to bridge the gap between public and private school interests. Although he is widely perceived to stand consistently with private school advocates on the board, he has two children in the Lawrence public schools.
"What you do is reach out equally," he told the audience at the recent "Meet the Candidates" night.
Levey, a 1983 graduate of Lawrence High School, is an institutional equities broker who also aspires to inspire cooperation among board members. "We just don't see eye to eye on what we want for our kids," he said at the candidates night meeting. "If we took time to work together, there are a lot of things where we could do better."
The key race in most observers' minds is the unusual contest between the incumbents, Greenbaum and Dr. Sussman. Greenbaum's decision to vacate her board seat and challenge Sussman for his is partly informed by personal animosity: she said if she doesn't win, she'd rather not sit on the board with Sussman.
But the move is also a strategic ploy on the part of the ALPs team, pitting its strongest candidate against the most experienced candidate from the other side of the aisle.
Comments? RTedesco@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000, ext. 204.
