By Hector Flores
Residents of the Bellmore and North Bellmore school districts recently received their property tax bills, and discovered what some residents say was an unexpectedly high school tax increase.
In North Bellmore, residents saw a school tax hike of 17.1 percent, one of the largest increases in Nassau County. In the Bellmore School District, the increase was more than 12 percent. The increases reflect residents- total tax bills for their component elementary districts and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District.
In interviews, local residents said the schools need sufficient funding to provide children with a good education, but many were still concerned about the amount taxes are rising.
Rose Marie Corless, of North Bellmore, a nurse, and her husband, Matt, a New York city firefighter, have three children. They-re worried about what they feel is a steep tax increase. I understand that children are getting a quality education, but the taxes are killing us, Corless said. We are seriously considering moving out in two years because we just can-t afford to live here anymore.
Another parent, Yvonne, who asked to be identified only by her first name, said that school taxes are too high, and that she isn-t surprised to hear that some residents are considering moving out. Just drive around North Bellmore, and you will see all these For Sale signs up, she said.
Toby Lamhut, of Bellmore, president and co-founder of the local chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons, said children are entitled to a good education. Lamhut said the tax increase is unfortunate, and she believes there are alternatives. Our chapter gives to after-school programs in Bellmore and Merrick, she said. Other organizations could donate to other programs. And what about Albany? They said Lotto would cover taxes, but we aren-t seeing it. Where-s the money going?
School district officials said they-re aware that residents are disgruntled, but insist that there are factors beyond their control that are causing the school tax increases, including declining state aid and increasing unfunded state mandates.
The decline in state aid is among the biggest reasons for higher property taxes, according to school officials. In the Bellmore School District, state aid paid for 20 percent of the district-s annual expenditures during the 1990s. Now that figure is down to 12.3 percent.
On top of state mandates, the federal No Child Left Behind Act creates additional testing requirements and more paperwork without providing adequate funds, local officials said. Howard Pollitt, a North Bellmore district trustee and former assistant superintendent for business, said the federal government is funding only 16 percent of the No Child Left Behind Act-s mandates.
At the same time, school districts have seen dramatic increases in their required costs, including health insurance, liability insurance, pensions, energy and transportation. Richard Snyder, a Bellmore School District business official, said that in the past five years, health insurance premiums have risen by double digits. In the 1999-2000 budget, the district paid $1.3 million for health insurance. In 2004-05, it shelled out $2.7 million. We have seen similar trends in pension costs, liability insurance and transportation, Snyder said.
Officials also said that Nassau-s assessment system has much to do with rising property taxes. Pollitt explained that property is divided into four classes for tax purposes: class one, single- and two-family homes; class two, multi-family dwellings; class three, utilities; and class four, commercial properties.
The Nassau County assessor and New York state Office of Real Property Assessment set up the Adjusted Base Proportion, which is the percentage of property taxes each class must provide to fund the schools. In recent years, the proportion has decreased dramatically for the owners of class three and four properties, while class one and two property owners have been forced to pay greater percentages of the school tax levy. As a result, 90 percent of the tax burden has shifted to homeowners.
Jay L.T. Breakstone, president of the Bellmore Board of Education, said that despite the expenses the district faces, board members have been able to keep some budget costs at bay by concentrating on what they can control. We have the fifth lowest cost per pupil in Long Island, and we have done it by keeping controllable costs down, he said.
Some of these controllable costs include technology, staff development, retirement incentives and cooperative bidding for items such as school supplies. The district recently developed a plan to cut special-education costs by establishing its own in-house program.
According to Snyder, the program will enable the district to keep special-needs students in Bellmore and put an end to exorbitant transportation costs and tuition fees in other school districts.
Laura Lane contributed to this story. Comments about it? HFlores@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 283.
