Gov. threatens school cuts, again

For the second straight year, school districts are facing the possibility of a midyear aid cut as Gov. Paterson seeks to plug New York state’s deficit.

Last year, school districts were spared any revenue reduction, but this year could be different. District 24 Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale said he expects aid to be cut this year, just not as much as the governor proposes.

Paterson’s $5 billion Deficit Reduction Plan would include a $686 million cut to schools. Fale said that with the governor’s office and both houses of the Legislature now under one-party control, the prospect of cuts becomes more likely.

District 24 would lose about $322,000 under the governor’s plan, in which case, Fale said, he and board members will have to figure out a way to make up the difference. Programs could be cut or the district’s reserve funds could be tapped, he said, adding that district officials would like to know sooner rather than later if cuts will be made.

District 30 is in line for a $353,000 cut. “Governor Paterson did something very similar last year and the Legislature did not support it,” said Ed Cullen, the district’s assistant superintendent for business. “So we’re not exactly sure where this is going to go.”

Cullen said that it is too early to say how the district might make up the difference. He noted, however, that the state Legislature traditionally increases state aid over the governor’s budget proposal every spring, so he expects the Legislature would not cut as much aid, either.

The Central High School District would be hit the hardest, potentially losing $1.5 million. Superintendent Dr. Marc Bernstein said that school districts recently received a letter from the governor’s budget director stating that New York will not have enough money come December to meet its financial obligations. “Having gotten that letter a week or two after Paterson’s proposed midyear cuts,” Bernstein said, “I think it was the governor’s way of underscoring the perilous state of affairs the state finds itself in.”

Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-North Valley Stream) said he opposes any state school aid cuts, and that there are other measures that could help close the budget gap, such as allowing video lottery terminals at Belmont Park. Alfano also suggested cutting member items, instituting a hiring freeze and merging the state’s banking and finance departments.

“Schools are concerned, and they should be,” he said, noting that he doesn’t want local districts to be hit with the same devastating cuts that state and city universities faced. “When you cut schools,” Alfano said, “you’re only making easy decisions today that will have drastic consequences tomorrow.”

State Sen. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) also said he opposes midyear cuts and, like Alfano, he wants the state to take advantage of revenue-producing opportunities at Belmont. “Realizing Belmont’s true potential as an economic development engine should be part of any short- and long-term blueprint for New York’s future,” Johnson said.

Assemblyman Bob Barra (R-Lynbrook) said he is already disappointed that the current budget hit the middle class hard by eliminating the STAR rebate check. Barra said he opposes cutting school aid, which would only burden taxpayers further.

“It’s a devastating possibility, but I feel it is unlikely,” District 13 Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said of the possible cuts, adding that state legislators understand that aid reductions would mean cutting services to students. District 13 would lose about $514,000. Lison noted that the district has put many cost-saving plans into place in the past few years.

Bernstein said that, with Board of Education approval, he has put a hold on nonessential expenses and hirings in the high school district. Anything beyond that has not yet been discussed.

District 13’s assistant superintendent for business, Meredith Brosnan, said that a midyear aid reduction is probably unlikely, but that cuts for the next school year are “inevitable.”

Anthony Bottan contributed to this story.