Schools

BOE: 'Contingency Equals More Budget Cuts'

A closer look at the other 2010-11 spending plan for the Glen Cove School District.

The Glen Cove Board of Education is calling the district's $69.4 million 2010-11 contingency budget the worst possible answer for continuing education and operations in the district next year. 

Although the contingent budget is lower than the district's proposed $70.4 million preliminary budget, administrators said, they would be forced to make additional cuts to meet its total. The district has already proposed staffing and program cuts in its preliminary budget as a way to save $2.7 million next year. 

"I can't stress this enough, we cannot go into contingency," said Ida McQuair, the board's president. "It would be catastrophic." 

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Under state law, a district can submit a budget to voters no more than two times. If the budget is defeated twice, the district's Board of Education 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 CPI is currently calculated at 0 percent. 

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The district's contingency budget calls for an increase of a little more than $124,000, or 0.18 percent, from the current year. This budget is about $1 million less than the district's proposed preliminary budget, which calls for a roughly $1.1 million — or 1.66 percent — increase in spending over the current budget. This is the first time in four years that the district has had a contingent budget lower than the proposed budget.

The budget's tax levy, which is the amount of money taxpayers will have to pitch-in collectively to meet the budget number, is $58.1 million, about $1.1 million — or 2.04 percent — more than the current year. The levy is also $1 million less than the preliminary budget's levy. 

Superintendent Dr. Laurence Aronstein said a contingent budget opens the possibility that the district will have to eliminate, among other things, sub-varsity sports, field trips, Glen Cove High School elective courses with less than 15 students as well as increase class sizes at the elementary and high school level. 

Visit the district's Web site to see its latest budget presentation as well as voter information for the annual budget vote/school board election on May 18.

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


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here