Slashing aid to local schools?

Bracing for what school officials call “drastic cuts,” the Lynbrook and East Rockaway school districts, along with others in New York state, could face harsh financial realities following the Feb. 1 release of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s first proposed state budget, which calls for a 7.3 percent reduction in education aid next year. The state legislature will amend teh executive’s proposal and has an April 1 deadline to pass a complete state budget of which state aid is a part.

The proposed spending plan would help the state close a projected $10 billion deficit, but would likely force districts across New York to reduce their own spending as they plan their 2011-12 budgets.

“It is certainly disappointing to receive less and continue to receive less,” said East Rockaway Superintendent Roseanne Melucci. “It is still early in our budget process, and we are looking to see how to make up for loss of state aid.” Melucci added that the Board of Education and administrators began working on next year’s budget in November, and they are examining where they can increase revenue and decrease expenditures. State aid makes up approximately 18 percent of the current budget, according to Marcy Tannenbaum, the East Rockaway district’s director of finance and operations.

The district is expecting just under $5.7 million in state aid next year, according to the State Education Department’s website. That includes about $60,000 for hardware and technology and $12,390 for software, library and textbook costs. Tannenbaum said that the district is not eligible for kindergarten conversion or universal pre-K aid.

Aside from relying on state aid, the district has two capital reserve funds — one for facilities and one for technology — to help it complete a variety of building projects. The facilities fund has a balance of $232,400, and there is $288,000 in the technology fund. With budget season getting into full swing, capital reserves can help lower the tax levy, Tannenbaum explained, because the district can take projects out of the operating budget and fund them with the reserves.

Lynbrook