By MIKE CAPUTO
Merging what County Executive Tom Suozzi called back office services in the school system could lead to at least $5 million in savings, Suozzi said. The plan was devised by a committee comprising school board members, BOCES administrators, superintendents, elected officials and county staff members.
Property taxes are of course a major problem we face here on Long Island, and school taxes are a large part of the property taxes we pay, Suozzi said at a press conference on Monday in Mineola. For years, [elected officials] tried to stay out of the school property tax business. I think we all realized that it has become such an overwhelming burden that we need to work together with our school districts to try and address this very, very real problem.
In the context of school district and government spending, the county executive noted that the savings generated by the initiative would not be massive, but would set the tone for long-term savings.
Leon Campo, East Meadow School District superintendent, appeared pleased, but noted that there is still work to be done on the proposals. Any time there are proposals, ideas, we need to be receptive to them and to peruse the ideas to see if they are practical or not, Campo said. Some may not be as practical as others. The very fact that the county could work as a consortium if we can save money, let-s do it for the taxpayers.
School taxes account for more than 60 percent of the average taxpayer-s total property tax bill. In May, the East Meadow community approved a $171.4 million spending plan for the 2008-09 academic year that included a 4.7 percent increase in the tax levy.
The county government-education consortium is recommending several collaborative efforts, including NassauNet, a telecommunications and I.T. network that would utilize the county-s existing infrastructure, and Just in Time, an initiative that would create a countywide purchasing program for school districts. Similarly, the group recommended an out-of-district transportation cooperative that would allow for a single contract.
For capital projects, delays could be eliminated by granting Nassau BOCES the authority to approve school district construction plans costing $1.5 million or less, which would normally have to go through the state education department.
The capital-projects aspect of the initiative could be pivotal for most school districts, including East Meadow. That makes a lot of sense to me from a standpoint of money, and getting the project done in a timely matter for kids in the community, Campo said.
School districts would also be encouraged to use county resources for certain audit and legal services. County Comptroller Howard Weitzman explained that districts could save money by utilizing his office for required annual internal control reviews.
In discussions with school superintendents, Weitzman said, it is clear that we can do that for all the districts save them a ton of money and also come out with a better product, because we would be able to prepare all the best practices from all over the schools and put that together in a more comprehensive document.
Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington), who has worked closely with Suozzi on the state Committee on Local Government Efficiency, agreed that collaboration between governing bodies and school districts is an important aspect of this savings plan. I think this is an important step in the direction of helping our property taxpayers address the issue of rising property tax costs, Johnson said. What is really great is, you see the cooperation between the local government, state government and school boards to address this problem. What I think it shows is innovation and thinking outside of the box.
Suozzi said the committee would continue to meet, and to work with the school districts on implementing the measures it is proposing.
Comments about this story? MCaputo@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 287.
