Vote ‘yes’ on Bellmore-Merrick school budgets on Tuesday

In any given year, crafting a school district budget that meets students’ needs while respecting the bottom line –– that is, residents’ property-tax bills –– is a headache. This year, you might say it’s a migraine headache.

Last June, the New York Legislature passed, and Governor Cuomo signed, legislation imposing a 2 percent property-tax levy cap, which limits the total amount that a district can collect in taxes to meet expenses. In effect, the cap limits a district’s ability to increase expenditures. With heating, lighting and retirement costs set to increase for years into the foreseeable future, school officials say cuts to student services are inevitable.

In the past two years, the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District has cut nearly 50 positions, including eight teachers in the 2012-13 budget. The North Bellmore School District is closing Gunther Elementary School next year, in part to make better use of its facilities –– the school was projected to be at 50 percent capacity in the coming years –– but also to save money and meet the cap.

We were disappointed that Cuomo chose to cap the property-tax levy. Long Islanders, particularly residents of Bellmore-Merrick districts, have long demonstrated unwavering support for their schools, consistently passing their spending plans by wide margins. The Central High School District has passed every budget for the past 20 years.

Long Islanders understand that the schools provide a sizable return on their investment in education. Great schools boost property values, enhancing homeowners’ net worth.

Cuomo, however, chose to severely limit school spending, so much so that we worry about the quality of education that our children will receive in the future. Already there is talk of eliminating the nine-period day at the high school in the near future in order to meet the cap, although there is not a definite proposal on the table as yet. No doubt, one of the best moves the Central High School District has made over the years has been adding a ninth period, which gives students a host of additional educational opportunities.

More so than ever, we implore residents to come out and vote for their local elementary school district budget in Merrick or North Merrick and the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School districts. If a district’s budget fails twice in a public vote, spending must be kept level the following year. In the Central High School District alone, that would mean $2.5 million in additional cuts, which could jeopardize the quality of education our children receive.

Times are indeed tough for our local school districts. Let’s show the schools –– and, more precisely, our children –– that we fully support them by voting “yes” on next year’s budgets.