Board of Education Hosts First 2011-12 Budget Session

In the district's first budget work session for the 2011-12 school year on Tuesday night, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. William Johnson, revealed a grim truth for next year: the district will lose more than 15 percent in state aid, or roughly $1.2 million. 

"We will have to figure out how to deal with this," Johnson said.

He explained that Nassau County will lose about 10.3 percent in state aid, while the rest of the state will lose significantly less. "The pain needs to be shared equitably," he said. "We are taking a woefully disproportionate hit. They are used to taking money from Long Island and it has to end."

Though the district will have less revenue from the state to work with, Johnson noted that officials will have to take a careful look at expenditures, and make decisions on where it might need to cut back.

Assistant Superintendent Robert Bartells conducted the budget presentation, though it did not include line by line expenditures. He added that those numbers will be available at next week's budget work session at the high school. Bartells outlined certain expenses that increased that the school has no control over. Lower interest rates on cash balances, he noted, makes it very difficult to project revenues with declining rates.

Though there were no contractual salary increases in the 2011-12 budget, he said, increases to the teachers and employees retirement funds total roughly $1.8 million. The employer contributions for TRS increased from 8.6 percent to 11.5 percent, while the contributions for ERS increased by more than four percent. "There's been a large increase in what we are required to contribute," Bartells said. "We have no control over it."

Other increases will be seen in health insurance premiums, an additional $600,000 for six new special education students and four contingent positions, and a sewer tax that will cost the district $100,000. Bartells noted that there is nothing in the 2011-12 budget for tax certiorari settlements because the district does not know what its liability is yet.

On a positive note, Bartells underscored the myriad ways the district has tried to save money, including converting to natural gas, participating in a energy performance contract and bidding cooperatively with other districts on purchases.

The next budget session will be on Feb. 8 at 7 p.m. at the high school.