By Danny Teigman
School officials and local elected officials, however, feel that the increase is less than generous.
"I thought [Spitzer] would come in with a budget that would shock and awe us with the high numbers," said Assemblyman Bob Barra (R-Lynbrook). "But the honeymoon is over. Now it comes down to a test of wills, and I'm betting that we will win."
Lynbrook's school state aid will rise from $6.5 million to $6.7 million, an increase of 2.8 percent. The percentage increase in East Rockaway's proposed state funding was nearly identical to Lynbrook's, from this year's $4.9 million to just over $5 million, or 2.9 percent.
Barra said that the proposed increases barely cover the 3 percent annual inflation rate. He added that the state's proposed $38.3 million infusion of cash into Nassau County school districts represents a 5 percent drop in the county's proportion of state aid, from 13 percent to 8 percent.
Not all schools in Barra's 14th Assembly District, which includes Lynbrook, did as poorly, he said. If Spitzer's budget is approved, Rockville Centre schools will see a 6.7 percent increase in state funding, and the Valley Stream Central High School District will benefit from a jump of 8.7 percent.
In the 20th Assembly District, which encompasses East Rockaway and the Five Towns, only Lawrence schools did slightly better, receiving a 3.2 percent increase in funding, according to figures released by the state.
Calling the school aid funding discrepancy "a tale of two cities," Barra said it is now up to elected officials to work with the governor to restore funding and to re-evaluate the formula used to calculate school taxes, which is currently based on the assessed value of residents' homes.
Melissa Burak, the Lynbrook district's assistant superintendent for business, said she was also disappointed with the proposed funding. "While we appreciate additional funding, it's not as much as we hoped," Burak said. "... I don't believe Long Island is getting its fair share of state aid. To me, Long Island is really getting the short end of the stick."
Burak said that state funding typically helps defray the costs of textbooks, computer software, transportation, library materials and students with disabilities. She, like Barra, said that the school property-tax formula was flawed and placed an unfair burden on taxpayers. Although homeowner property assessments have risen sharply in the last decade, incomes have not kept pace. "There is not currently a link between the ability to pay and the actual property tax that [homeowners] pay," Burak said.
Both districts, which passed their respective school budgets last year, have begun this year's preliminary budget talks, but have yet to release any early-season projections. According to Concetta Robinson, East Rockaway Schools' director of finance and operations, the next budget advisory meeting is scheduled for March 1, and the county's next property value reassessment is due to be released in mid-April. "Now the governor and his cabinet are going through the budget line by line," Robinson said. "I'm hoping that more aid is brought back to Long Island, and East Rockaway especially."
Burak said that Lynbrook's first budget meeting was held on Jan. 31, and its second was scheduled for Wednesday, after the Herald went to press, in the high school cafeteria.
Barra cautioned that Spitzer's announcement marked only the beginning of the budget process. "A month from today, we could be saying, 'This is fine,'" he said. "It's all part of the negotiations."
Comments about this story? DTeigman@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 246.
