This year, the picture is radically different, so much so that we enthusiastically endorse East Meadow's 2003-04 spending plan.
For starters, the district has made an enormous effort in recent months to update residents about all the changes to the budget through regular hearings and mailings. We applaud the district's information campaign.
East Meadow isn't cutting any teachers, which had residents in an uproar last year. It is, however, dropping two administrative positions -- the director of Languages Other Than English and the principal for Academic Intervention Services -- which will save the district hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. The AIS principal was one of the administrative positions that the Herald said last year should be examined and potentially cut.
The district has offered a tax rate to the media, although reluctantly. It's $160 per $100 of assessed value, which will bring the school tax bill for a home assessed at $350,000 to about $5,600. East Meadow didn't have to offer a rate. Next door, Bellmore-Merrick schools simply didn't, which was wrong. People deserve to know by roughly how much their taxes will go up so they can make informed decisions when they vote on the school budget June 3. East Meadow officials deserve praise for providing a rate.
District officials also managed to keep expenses low this year, even as many fixed costs, such as health insurance, retirement and Social Security, soared. This year's budget is slated to rise 5.3 percent above last year, one of the smallest increases in Nassau County.
Finally, many residents charged last year that East Meadow administrators were mismanaging district funds. Their cries were heard in Albany. The New York State Comptroller's Office audited the district's books and found that the district had misspent about $8,200 in a $119 million budget.
Some district residents say $8,200 is too much. We say yes, but in any budget, there will be mistakes. Given the size of East Meadow's spending plan, $8,200 is a pittance compared with the waste that people expected would be found. Does the comptroller's report exonerate district officials of charges that they had somehow misappropriated funds? We believe it does.
So, to preserve our children's education and keep property values strong, vote yes to the East Meadow school budget June 3.
