Herald Community Newspapers
Support your schools and community
Let's be honest: Everyone is worried about taxes. How to keep them as low as possible, and to get maximum value for the dollars spent. Voting against your school budget may seem like an easy way to do that, but a failed school spending plan not only guarantees cuts in programs, but rarely translates into noticeably lower taxes, since the bulk of a district's expenses are contractual. One way or another, you're going to pay for them.
Supporting schools' efforts to maintain academic excellence raises our property values and entices new home buyers to our communities. The way we run our schools, the programs we have to offer - academic and extracurricular - is what attracts good people and keeps current residents and businesses from moving away.
The budget proposals in East Rockaway and Lynbrook this year are quite reasonable, and students deserve to continue to get the quality education they need. East Rockaway and Lynbrook residents have every reason to be proud of our schools, and we need to maintain their standards. The Herald is proud to endorse both villages' 2007-08 school budgets.
EAST ROCKAWAY
East Rockaway High School's class of 2006 had one of the highest Regents diploma rates ever - 91 percent - and 96 percent of students went on to college. The school has a dropout rate of zero, and students excel not only academically, but in sports, drama and music as well.
The proposed budget of $30 million is 8.6 percent larger than the current spending plan of $27.3 million, and the tax levy increase is a relatively low 3.9 percent. Thanks to the efforts of state Assembly and Senate members, aid from Albany totals $5.3 million, and will be used to reduce the tax levy.
A large chunk of the budgetary hike - $1.1 million - is the first payment on a three-part, $18.7 million bond package that continues to help upgrade the district's infrastructure with new classrooms, a refurbished athletic field, fuel tank replacements and a new Library/Media Center at the Centre Avenue Elementary School, among other capital improvements.
Without the bond payment factored in, the budget increase would be a modest 4.5 percent. Even with it, the budget is worthy of voters' approval, and we encourage them to do so on Tuesday.
LYNBROOK
The Lynbrook school district has scored consistently high grades on the New York State Assessment tests: 100 percent of district fifth-graders passed the 2006 social studies assessment. Nearly 90 percent of middle school students passed the English Language Arts exam.
Last year, 96 percent of Lynbrook High School students went on to college. The district's diverse academic programs have won awards, and its athletic teams continue to excel. Clearly, the district is doing a lot of things right.
Its proposed 2007-08 budget of $63.3 million would include several new hires, and no cuts in programs or services. It is an increase of 4.4 percent over the current budget, and includes a modest 2.6 percent increase in the tax levy. The state offered a great deal of help - $7.5 million - thanks to the lobbying efforts of local politicians, school officials and even students.
The new budget would add supplementary support services to the kindergarten program. A new reading program called "Fundations" would be introduced in the elementary schools, middle school students would have more opportunities to participate in after-school activities and interscholastic sports, and an additional guidance counselor would be added at the high school. The Inclusion program would expand to additional grades, giving students with disabilities more chances to learn alongside their able-bodied peers in regular classrooms.
We enthusiastically endorse the Lynbrook budget, and we urge voters to approve it.
Caruso for Lynbrook school board
Phyllis Caruso is a longtime resident of Lynbrook and has nine years' experience on the school board. She served as its president from 2001 to 2006, and ran to keep her seat on the board last year, losing to newcomer Tom Lynch. This year, she and challenger William Kayen are vying for Vice President Ron Nash's seat on the board.
Although Caruso's three children have graduated from the high school, she is still genuinely interested in the board's goings-on. She has outlined a five-year plan for the district, which includes a financial plan that she intends to upgrade yearly. She would allow candidates to run at-large in school board elections, instead of the current practice of choosing a seat. After losing last year's election, she did not ride off into the sunset, but rather came back with a firmer resolve to be a part of the process and to make improvements.
Kayen ran for the board in 2003, narrowly losing to Cathy Papandrew. He has two children in district schools, and has some good ideas when it comes to students' recycling, nutrition and safety. He says he wants to give back to the community, and claims he will fit in with the other board members. We encourage Kayen to continue bringing his good ideas to the table, but the Herald endorses Caruso because of her track record and her detailed plan to make the board the best it can be.
Unopposed in Lynbrook
William Belmont is running unopposed for the seat to be vacated by school board Secretary David Herrmann. Belmont, who supports anti-bullying programs, is full of enthusiasm, and says he will be a "pro-active parent" and a "reactive board member."
Unopposed in East Rockaway
Marie Girace has been on the school board for 14 years, and is currently a member of the Budget Advisory Committee. She wants to see continued stability within the school system, and would like to continue to reduce class sizes. She said she plans to help keep the district financially responsible.
Vicki Alspector has been on the board for 12 years, and wants to bring some focus back to non-test-related material. She is president of the East Rockaway Education Foundation, and clearly has a deep commitment to her community.
