Lawrence school budget deserves approval

Voters in District 15 will head to the polls on Tuesday, May 11, to vote on the Lawrence School District's proposed 2010-11 budget of $94.1 million, which represents a budget-to-budget increase of 2.6 percent.

District 15 officials have shown in this budget that they are cognizant of the economic realities faced by residents. They have proposed a fiscally sound plan that balances spending restraint with maintaining much-needed, first-rate programs. Lawrence, like other districts, was faced with the challenge of not knowing how much state aid will be heading down the Hudson from Albany. District officials wisely went through the budget process with the assumption that Lawrence would lose $1.2 million in state aid, which is what Gov. David Paterson is proposing.

With less help from the state, creating a budget that would not burden taxpayers wasn't an easy task. Some cuts needed to be made, including 15 teaching positions, two administrative jobs and 17 hourly employees.

The estimated increase in the tax levy, the total amount the district must raise in property taxes in order to meet expenses, is 4.9 percent. Lawrence school board President Murray Forman estimated that the tax rate could rise between 6 and 7 percent. We believe that is reasonable, and it is money well spent to assure not only a vibrant public school system but also that many families who send their children to private schools in the district receive adequate services.

A major reason why Lawrence has been able to keep its budget under control is the closing of the Number Six School in Woodmere, which district officials project will create an estimated savings of $7.7 million.

The district has also been able to keep the tax levy increase to less than 1 percent over the past five years thanks in large part to the $29.1 million the district received from the sale of the former Number One School property. The district has wisely used $17 million of those proceeds to address much-needed capital-improvement projects, while it "judiciously applied portions of the remainder of the proceeds to reduce the burden of taxes on all community residents," the board stated.

The stakes will be high when voters head to the polls next Tuesday. If the budget is defeated, the district runs the risk of operating on austerity, which this year would mean no increase in the budget, cutting $2.4 million from the proposed spending plan and limiting expenditures to the most essential items. This could mean cuts in programs and staff as well as an increase in class sizes.

Lawrence faced the limitations of austerity budgets from 2003 to 2007, with four straight years of failed budgets. A return to being handcuffed on expenditures would have disastrous consequences.

We urge a "yes" vote on the school district budget.