Administrators Propose $71.3 Million Budget

After revising the budget twice and decreasing expenditures by nearly $180,000, administrators in the Glen Cove School District are now proposing a $71.3 million spending plan for next year. 

The latest figure is a roughly $2 million, or 2.94 percent, increase from the current year. The budget, which is scheduled for a public vote on May 18, is the district's annual spending plan. 

Superintendent Dr. Laurence Aronstein noted again that the budget-to-budget increase is mostly due to health insurance premiums, contractual agreements and state mandates such as retirement contributions, which are all considered as factors out of the district's control. 

"Two-thirds of our teachers are looking at a 7 percent increase in salaries contractually and our administrators are looking at a 7 percent increase in salaries next year," Aronstein explained. "We also have increases for our other labors groups ... our custodians are getting a very modest increase and the secretarial unit is getting a small salary increase." 

The latest draft calls for the elimination of 11 teaching positions, one teaching assistant and three administrators/supervisors. Administrators are also opting not to replace four teachers who are retiring and they have chosen to move forward with a budget proposal of $645,000 in capital projects.

And although the state budget has not yet been approved, school officials still project that the district will get roughly $6.9 million in state aid next year.

"At this point, it looks like this district is taking a $882,000 hit in state aid," Aronstein said. "That's not coming back." 

The current draft's tax levy, which is the amount of money that needs to be raised locally, is set at an estimated $60 million. That figure is roughly a $3 million, or 5.40 percent, hike from the current levy of $56.9 million. 

Contingent Budget

Under state law, school officials explained, the district can submit a budget to voters no more than two times. If the budget is defeated twice, the board must adopt a contingency budget, which prevents the district from increasing spending by more than 120 percent of the Consumer Price Index or 4 percent, whichever is lower. 

The index, also called CPI, is a list of prices used to measure the change in the cost of basic goods and services in comparison with a fixed base period. The state now lists the CPI at -0.4 percent. 

The district's 2010-11 contingent budget is an estimated $68.8 million, which represents a roughly $455,000, or 0.66 percent decrease, from this year's $69.3 million budget. The levy for this budget would be $57.4 million, an estimated $415,000, or 0.73 percent, increase from the current levy. 

The contingent budget is also roughly $2.5 million lower than the district's proposed $71.3 million spending plan, which Aronstein said, would require the district to make more cuts than what is already proposed in the latest budget draft. 

"I've already cut $1.85 million in order to get to the proposed budget," Aronstein said. "The contingent budget means that we would have to cut another $2.5 million out of the budget after making all of those cuts." 

Next Step

Administrators said they still plan to revise the current draft to get the tax levy under 4 percent, because it is believed by many that a levy higher than that number will have a slim chance of garnering voter approval. School officials are planning to meet during the district's spring break next week to find ways to lower budget expenditures. 

"This 5.4 percent tax levy is going to have to go down considerably, which means that we have a very tough job ahead of us," said Ida McQuair, the board's president. "This board will go through, once again, every line item on this budget and we will have to come up with more significant cuts. We don't want to do it ... but we don't have a choice ... because there is no way that this community will pass a budget levy this high."

The board is expected to continue budget discussions at its next meeting on April 12 at the Robert M. Finley Middle School at 8 p.m. 

Patch wants to hear from you. Leave a comment below.