Herald Community Newspapers
Approve school budgets
On Tuesday, voters will decide the fate of local school district budgets. Administrators and school board members began assembling them early this year, which resulted in efficient, wisely constructed spending plans that improve services for students.
Thumbs up for Elmont
Elmont Superintendent Al Harper and Robert Geras, the district's director of business and facilities, have been crafting the budget since before the school year began, and thanks to additional state aid of more than $3.5 million, the result is the smallest increase in the tax levy, the portion of the budget funded by property taxes, in recent memory - 1.9 percent.
If the $65.5 million-plus budget, a 6.7 percent increase, is approved, Elmont plans to introduce a new districtwide English Language Arts series as well as a fiber-optic network for all school buildings, and more classrooms will be equipped with "smart boards," interactive screens that give students access to the World Wide Web, literature and other capabilities.
More than $3 million in capital improvements are planned, which, according to school officials, will not cost taxpayers anything because of the state Legislature's Excel Special Aid program. There are also plans to renovate the district's lone auditorium, at Clara H. Carlson School, and repair crumbling masonry on some old buildings, while others will get new windows. The budget also calls for the replacement of all public address systems, the purchase of a new large school bus, two student vans and one van for disabled students. The Herald encourages voters to approve Elmont's budget.
Say yes to Sewanhaka spending plan
Sewanhaka's proposed $141 million-plus budget, a 5.3 percent increase over the current spending plan, was helped by a record $5.5 million in state aid. This made it possible for district officials to hold the hike in the tax levy to 1.2 percent, the smallest increase in three decades.
In an attempt to bolster seventh- and eighth-grade reading scores, the district plans to establish an educational support program for incoming and current seventh-graders. If the budget passes, Elmont Memorial and H. Frank Carey high schools will be two of the three schools where it will be instituted. If the program proves successful, it may be expanded throughout the district.
The budget also provides for $3.8 million in improvements to all five high schools, with $1.7 million in work planned for Elmont, Carey and Sewanhaka. A total of 13 projects are on tap at those three schools. We wholeheartedly support Sewanhaka's efforts.
Franklin Square budget should be passed
Franklin Square School District Superintendent Dr. Tom Dolan, who is in his first year of putting together a budget, hasn't forgotten that the district's spending plan failed on its first try two years ago. Dolan said he was encouraged by the result of the March 20 bond referendum, which allowed the district to secure more than $601,000 in capital project state funding to complete three projects without raising taxes. By a 540-62 margin, voters approved it.
One of the projects is the replacement of the nearly half-century-old roof at John Street School, which administrators say is the district's most pressing need. They also hope to upgrade the computer systems in every school, with the lion's share of that work designated for Polk Street School. The third project is an overhaul of the district's antiquated telephone network.
Dolan and other school officials hope voters accept the proposed $30.4 million budget, a 5.2 percent increase - with a 3.9 percent increase in the tax levy - as overwhelmingly as they did the bond referendum.
The budget provides for an expanded emphasis on science. Three science lab aides would be added - one in each school - and the science teacher's position would be eliminated so the labs could be open all day. The science teacher is currently splitting time among the three schools, and the labs are open only when the teacher is on the premises.
There are also plans to equip the three school playgrounds with rubber flooring to increase safety, and to install security cameras at various access points in the three schools. The Herald endorses Franklin Square's budget.
Ferrigno, Walker, Jaime for school board
Lorraine Ferrigno, vice president of the Elmont Board of Education and a lifelong resident, has served on the board for four years. She has made her presence known since day one and been a leading voice in drafting new policies for the board's audit committee, on which she is co-chairwoman. She deserves to be returned to her seat on the board. Her opponent, Michele Fuller, is an accomplished educator and someone we are confident will one day serve on the board. But this year, our choice is Ferrigno.
In her first bid for a seat, Deniece Walker will bring her experience with various school groups to the board. A graduate of Dutch Broadway, Alva T. Stanforth and Sewanhaka, Walker has followed the Elmont and Sewanhaka school boards for years, and we believe she is worthy of a trustee's seat. Walker heads an intelligent slate of candidates - John Beasley, Colleen Mockenhaupt and Carol Parker Duncanson - all of whom seem qualified. We like Walker.
Michael Jaime, an active member of the Elmont Dad's Club, believes in keeping the community informed and involved in what's going on in school. If elected, he said, he would try to arrange for the occasional school board meeting on a weekend, so those who work nights would be able to attend at least a few meetings a year. He also believes there are ways to help with large-scale bids and purchases by teaming with other school districts to consolidate costs. One of his plans is to bring in a corporate sponsor to put its name on the cafeteria. This is a smart initiative that would put a smile on the face of any taxpayer who is being stretched to the limit.
We like Jaime's vision, and enthusiastically give him our endorsement. His opponent, Lascelles Aboagye, has long been an active member of the Elmont Cardinals and has devoted his efforts to the community for years. He might have earned our endorsement if he were running for a different seat, but Jaime has too much potential to pass up.
