School officials try to ease tax burden

The East Rockaway School District has announced its $32.4 million budget for the 2010-11 school year. The spending plan is 2.19 percent larger than the current budget, the smallest increase in nine years.

The proposal will include a tax levy increase of 2.76 to 4.76 percent, depending on the amount of state aid the district receives. According to district officials, the average homeowner will pay an estimated additional $317 in school taxes if state aid is not renewed.

Superintendent Dr. Roseanne Melucci said she did not expect Gov. David Paterson to restore all $508,000 in state aid to the district, but she estimated that if Paterson gave back half of the total, the average school tax increase would be around $250.

This year’s tax levy increase was just over 8 percent, much larger than next year’s worst-case scenario.

The 2010-11 budget preserves and maintains all of the district’s programs and services, but Melucci informed her department heads not to exceed spending limits that were reduced by 25 percent this year, and will remain in effect next year, as they develop budgets of their own. “This is a very challenging year,” she said. “But we’re continuing to move the district forward during this economic storm.”

Marcy Tannenbaum, assistant superintendent for business, said that the district plans to use $1.16 million from its appropriated fund balance and reserve fund to lessen the burden on taxpayers, and has implemented new cost-saving measures to keep the tax increase to a minimum. The district combined positions to control personnel costs; combined its track, lacrosse and soccer teams with those of the Malverne school district; cut down on mailing costs; brought special-education students back into the district, reducing out-of-district tuition payments; and took part in insurance and transportation consortiums.

There are also two capital reserve propositions on the ballot May 18. One would use $112,000 from the Technology Reserve fund to purchase SmartBoards for all district schools and to upgrade the district’s Internet servers. If the proposition passes, it will leave $88,000 in that fund.