West Hempstead Board of Education finalizing proposed budget

    As the deadline to adopt a budget for the 2010-11 school approaches, the West Hempstead school board and administration are working to reduce expenditures and lower the proposed budget-to-budget increase.
    Throughout the last month they were able to cut the proposed increase by about 2 percent, bringing down the total increase to about $54.5 million.
    In order to achieve the $925,000 decrease, the district proposed reduction of teaching positions through retirement and excessing; of support staff; of non-academic transportation appropriations; and of some extracurricular expenses. It also suggested the alignment of material and supply lines to historical use.
    Richard Cunningham, the district's assistant superintendent of business and operations, reported to the board during its April 6 meeting that a number of developments unfolded on the revenue side of the budget as well. He announced that Gov. David Paterson withheld the $1.17 million state aid payment that was due to the district on March 31, and that the governor offered no timeline within which to make the payment.
    Additionally, Cunningham said, the state Senate approved Paterson's state aid proposal, which decreases aid to West Hempstead by more than $950,000. But, on the bright side, Cunningham noted, the state Assembly proposed a 41 percent restoration of that school aid cut, which equates to some $384,000.