Support your Central and elementary school district budgets

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Despite increasing security measures in the wake of the mass shooting in Parkland, Fla., and instituting new student health and wellness centers, officials in the Bellmore-Merrick Central School District are keeping the 2018-19 budget within the state-mandated tax-levy cap.

The district will also add three special-education staff members, at least one social worker and four guidance counselors. We support the additions. It’s hard to put a price on connections between students and staff, and students’ overall mental well-being.

The proposed $159.8 million spending plan would add 2.65 percent to the amount that the district must collect in taxes to meet expenses, which is gentler than last year’s 2.98 percent increase.

More important, when Superintendent John DeTommaso speaks at Board of Education meetings about the district’s “smart budgeting,” we believe him. You don’t have to look far throughout the district — where prestigious science and math awards are regularly won, students deliver stunning theatrical productions and 21st century technologies are added to schools throughout the district — to see evidence of the hard work by the administration and Board of Education.

Aside from $6.4 million in fund balances, the district will also start to use funds from the sale of the Jerusalem Avenue school building to Nassau BOCES to keep the tax rate down.

We believe that, although state aid figures can be discouraging, and the price of keeping up a high-quality district like Bellmore-Merrick can be daunting, taxpayers are in good hands, and should vote “yes” on the budget.

We also encourage voters to approve Proposition 2, which would allow the district to use $1.53 million of its capital reserves to make more physical improvements across the district, at no further cost to taxpayers.

Voters are also encouraged to support the budgets presented by officials in their elementary school districts, which were painstakingly put together, and generally well reasoned in a series of publications and presentations. Strong foundations in these districts make for a strong high school district.

In North Bellmore, voters would see a 3.4 percent hike in their tax levy if the budget were to pass. We urge a “yes” vote on the budget, and more communication between the board and taxpayers, so the reasoning behind decisions can be clear to all.

Of the three transportation questions on the ballot in North Bellmore, we suggest voting “yes” on Proposition 2C, which would keep transportation the way it is in the district.

Although we sympathize with those petitioning for expanded busing, the two propositions that they are lobbying for would each pierce the tax cap and need a 60 percent “supermajority” vote. The first one would lead to a 5 percent tax-levy increase, and that we could not support.