By Brian Zanzonico
In 2002-03, Sewanhaka's budget rose just 4.18 percent. If the current $133,505,648 budget were to go before voters - there is some refining expected once several pending contract negotiations are resolved - residents in Franklin Square could expect to pay an average of $1,608, Elmont homeowners would pay $1,253, Floral Park taxpayers would pay $1,682, and New Hyde Park residents would pay $1,509.
More than $3.5 million has been earmarked for capital projects among the five schools, which are all up for bid. H. Frank Carey is slated to undergo the most expensive work, estimated to cost $1,558,804. The bulk of the capital project funding for Carey would cover the replacement of the school's two 50-year old boilers, at a cost of $850,000. Twenty-five capital projects are budgeted, which board members told Superintendent Dr. John Williams and Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Operations Warren Meierdiercks they have no problem with. But it's where the money would be invested that raised some questions.
Board president Archie Cheng, long an advocate of revamping the district's science classrooms, said the district has planned since 1994 to replace the labs, and he was surprised to find it left off the capital projects list at the Jan. 31 budget workshop. Cheng and board member Dr. Roger Roess said science classroom refurbishing should take precedence over installing Global Positioning System clocks at Elmont, Sewanhaka and Floral Park, which would soak up $124,000 of the capital projects money.
Roess said the schools' clocks were not mentioned as a problem when the school board laid out its seven-year plan last year. Meierdiercks, however, said the original wiring has become an issue, and the GPS versions, which he described as electronic transmitters in the buildings that receive satellite signals and automatically set clocks in lieu of hardwiring and constant resetting, would be a wise investment, since rewiring the current systems would cost $100,000. But school board members argued that the money could be better spent.
"Lab and science rooms should be up to date," Cheng said. "Especially compared to a clock on a wall."
Williams said he would check to see how many science classrooms are still in need of work.
Board members also wondered why $660,000 was earmarked for gym window replacements at Elmont and Carey. Meierdiercks and Williams said that each school principal was asked about building priorities, and that gym window replacement was at the top of both Elmont principal John Capozzi's and Carey principal Douglas Monahan's lists. "We need to address it before it gets worse," Meierdiercks said. "We let it go at New Hyde Park and it became a roof problem, then a gym floor problem."
The school board will continue work on the budget, with a workshop scheduled for Tuesday, March 7. If the budget fails - as it did in 2004 - Williams said that $2 million to $3 million would have to be lopped off "our already lean document." The budget vote is Tuesday, May 16.
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