By:Jason Scheer
Legislators in Albany are projecting that Baldwin will receive just over $18,063,000 for the 2004-05 school year, a .96 percent increase over last year's allotment of just over $17,891,000.
The neighboring Malverne, West Hempstead and Valley Stream school districts are projected to receive increases of 6 to 9 percent.
Since the new figures are projections, the district is having difficulty deciding whether or not to issue a tax levy. "It becomes a very difficult thing, because you want to provide a clear tax levy so the county can calculate the tax rate," said Ed Cigna, assistant superintendent for business in the Baldwin School District. "But what happens in cases like this [is that] we have to guess."
Cigna cited a pending lawsuit involving New York City as one reason for the instability of the figures. A civic group sued the state, claiming that New York City was not getting its fair share of the state's financial pie. A judge gave the state until July 30 to come up with a plan, but legislators didn't meet the deadline. Now the decision on how to apportion the money lies in the hands of special masters appointed by the court.
The masters will eventually recommend a solution that will affect how much money will be given to school districts outside the city, including Baldwin.
"The state is under a cloud regarding the New York City lawsuit [about] state aid, and we are not sure how that will influence anything the state does," Cigna said.
According to Tom Dunham, a spokesman for Sen. Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre), the numbers are based on many factors, including enrollment and the wealth of the residents within the district. The numbers are generated using an elaborate equation. "It is the most complex, convoluted formula you could ever come up with," said Dunham.
Although the ultimate goal is to get more money for the school districts, other factors, such as the governor's proposed budget, limit the amount of money the state can allocate to local schools.
Despite the limitations, total figures for Nassau County schools for next year are promising, with projected aid set to rise 5.2 percent overall, from $551,322,622 in the 2003-04 school year to $579,929,495 in 2004-05. "Everyone would always like to see more state school aid put into the local districts, but given the challenges we are facing ... [it is] extraordinary that numbers continue to increase to record levels," said Dunham.
The numbers projected in this report refer to total operating aid, and do not include allocations for reimbursable aid, which is contingent on local expenditures like building and transportation bonds.
