My last column, “Stop playing games with the budget deficit” (Feb. 3) was written one week before New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued his analysis of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s executive budget draft. The irrationality I outlined fell short of anticipating the following mea-culpa expressed in the comptroller’s analysis. “The SFY 2010-2011 enacted budget relied on $16.7 billion in non-recurring or temporary budget resources; and overly optimistic tax revenue projections, causing a dramatically worsened state structural deficit.” How dramatic? These tenuous entries constituted 30 percent of all the monies in the state’s operating fund. more

Oceanside teachers had until Feb. 11 to decided whether they would opt into the district’s cost-saving retirement incentive program, which Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown announced at the December … more

To the Editor: I had the opportunity to attend the Oceanside School District’s Annual Family Life meeting for fourth, fifth and sixth grade parents on Feb. 16 at School 5. After sitting … more

There are times when I wish it was 2012. Not because I’m wishing my life away but because I’d love to see how today’s crop of politicians worked their way out of the worst financial crises in federal, state and local history. more

On Feb. 1, Governor Cuomo delivered his first budget address. It was a no-holds-barred speech in which he admitted that years of dysfunction and mismanagement has driven our state into “functional bankruptcy.” more

We are entering one of the most interesting times of the year: budget season. more

As the snow keeps piling up, the Village of Island Park’s coffers start running out. According to Mayor Jim Ruzicka, the village budgeted $17,000 for snow removal this year. So far this season, … more

I was disappointed by the decision of the state’s financial oversight board, the Nassau County Interim Finance Authority, to take over Nassau County’s finances. more

The Oceanside School District kicked off its months-long budget process with its first workshop on Jan. 24, highlighting select pages from the 2011-12 spending plan, of which the biggest change was a … more

To the Editor: I was disturbed to read about the 80 layoffs that will take place in Oceanside’s school system (“Cutting back,” Jan. 13-19). I strongly believe that our administrators need … more