More state aid coming to school districts

School districts across Long Island will receive a significant increase in state aid based on the budget agreed by the State Legislature and the governor last week.
Districts in Nassau and Suffolk counties will get an overall state aid boost of 6.67 percent, $157 million, and districts throughout the state will see a record $1.3 billion boost.
In the Five Towns, Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence will have more state aid for the 2015-16 school years.
“The final agreement essentially matches the numbers we estimated based upon two-year funding plan passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor last year; with one significant exception, said Dr. Peter Weber, Hewlett-Woodmere’s deputy superintendent. “The exception is the size of the increase to the state GAP (deficit reduction.”
Enacted in 2010, the Gap Elimination Adjustment (GEA) was a cut in school aid to make up for the then $10 billion state budget deficit. This year’s budget reduces what remains of the GEA cuts by nearly 60 percent and $603 million was restored. State Senate officials said: “The Senate will continue to work towards the gull elimination of the GEA once and for all.” Legislators have promised full restoration by 2016-17.

Hewlett-Woodmere has proposed a $113.3 million and with the jump in state aid, Weber said that tax levy cap figure is lowered from its maximum of just over 2 percent to 1.4 percent, while the loss in revenue is mostly offset by the increase in building aid.
The state mandates that school districts and other municipalities can only raise taxes by about 2 percent. The tax levy is the amount of money the district raises through local property taxes.
“There should be a decrease in the use of reserves to support existing program for 2015-16,” Weber said. The Hewlett-Woodmere Board of Education is expected to adopt the budget on Wednesday, April 15 during a meeting at the Woodmere Education Center at 1 Johnson Place in Woodmere at 10 p.m.
Since the Gap Elimination Adjust was implemented, the Lawrence School District had lost $1.2 million in state aid, according to Superintendent Gary Schall, who said that his and other school districts “anticipated full or partial restoration of the GAP Elimination funds” and expected to receive more aid.
“With the sale of the Number Six School our reserve funds are going to be robust,” Schall said. “The increase will help fund our short-term and long-term capital improvements.” (See above story.)
Lawrence’s board is considering imposing either a 1.7 percent or 1.5 percent tax levy cap that would result in a $1.4 or $1.2 million jump to the current $95.6 million fiscal plan. That decision should be announced when the trustees adopt the proposed budget, which is expected at the next board meeting is on Monday, April 13 at 8 p.m. at Lawrence Middle School at 195 Broadway in Lawrence.

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State aid for Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence

District             Hewlett-Woodmere
2014-14 aid      $6,550,659   

2015-16 aid      $7,276,789  

Aid increase     $726,130

Percent change     11.08

District            Lawrence

2014-14 aid     $9,392,663

2015-16 aid     $10,670,158

Aid increase     $1,277,495

Percent change     13.60   

Source: Governor’s proposed budget