Valley Stream districts shed light on shared services

The four Valley Stream school districts cooperate for many purchases and services to try and save the taxpayers money, officials said at a meeting on March 13.

Following the PTA’s Legislative Breakfast, school administrators talked about ways the districts work together with each other, as well as with other districts and government agencies. Ed Cullen, assistant superintendent for business in District 30, said that schools can use state or county contracts to purchase oil, equipment, supplies and numerous other items. When New York state and Nassau County go out to bid for these items, those prices are made available to all other government entities within it, including school districts.

District 24 Assistant Superintendent Dan Onorato explained that numerous services are offered by Nassau County BOCES. There are video conferencing opportunities available for students, assistance with automating libraries, consultants to lead staff development workshops or technology training sessions and more. He said that districts can also participate in competitive bidding through BOCES and the more that participate, the lower the price to each individual district.

The state reimburses some of the cost for BOCES services. The payback rate is between 44 and 66 percent, depending on the wealth of the district. High School Superintendent Dr. Marc Bernstein said that last year the district received $1.4 million in BOCES aid. That money would have had to come from taxpayers otherwise, he said.

District 13 Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison said the Valley Stream districts have a shared contract for food services. “Money is saved because we’re able to order food in bulk,” she said.

The high school district, and Districts 13 and 24 share a residency office, which manages enrollment and investigates cases where a student is believed to live outside the district. Lison said this avoids duplication, especially in cases where an investigation involves both a high school student and a sibling in the elementary schools.

The four districts bargain together with the teacher, clerical and nurse unions. “That saves a tremendous amount on attorney’s fees,” Lison said.