Governor’s Budget Proposal Slashes Huntington’s State Aid
If Governor Eliot Spitzer’s budget proposal becomes law, the Huntington School District would face a reduction of nearly $820,000 in state aid compared to the current year’s funding. Such a loss at a time of increasing expenditures would lead to an increase in property taxes.
Huntington Assistant Superintendent David H. Grackin analyzed Mr. Spitzer’s proposal and concluded it would reduce the district’s high tax aid by about $490,000, excess cost aid by $704,000 and BOCES aid by about $327,000. On a more positive note, transportation aid and building aid would increase by $311,000 and $67,000, respectively.
Numerous aid categories make up each public school district’s overall state funding. Huntington School District officials are not happy that at a time when the district would like to see its state aid increase by several million dollars, Mr. Spitzer’s budget would instead reduce it by a substantial amount. Overall general fund aid would fall by $819, 516.
“Governor Spitzer has proposed a record amount of school aid in his budget,” Huntington Superintendent John J. Finello said. “So it is disappointing to see that Huntington and its students and taxpayers would actually get less aid at a time when certain expenses are rising sharply and property owners are already over burdened.”
In November, Mr. Grackin informed trustees that the district would receive $650,000 more in state aid than originally expected at the time of last year’s budget vote. The amount came as a result of required district financial filings. Mr. Grackin said he thought the final number, determined after an audit, would be close to the figure he was estimating.
“The state aid process is a complex series of categories and data collection points,” Mr. Grackin explained. “When the state budget is enacted, the aid that a district is slated to receive is an estimate only finalized after the district submits all of its financial filings in the summer and early fall. Even then, final numbers are subject to audit.
Last year Mr. Spitzer proposed that Huntington receive $9,857,351 in general fund aid. The state legislature increased that amount to $10,775,077. Last fall Mr. Grackin announced the district’s aid would be $11,428,203 after final numbers crunching.
School officials hope the state legislature again sweetens Mr. Spitzer’s proposal, especially in the areas of high tax, excess cost and BOCES aid. “Our taxpayers deserve increased state assistance to meet all of the required mandates imposed upon our district,” Mr. Finello said.
Within about a month, Huntington School District officials are expected to release a draft budget for the 2008-09 school year. The document will provide the starting point for a series of public meetings where School Board members will review line-by-line spending and programs before voting to finalize the financial plan in late April and send it to residents for a May vote.
All graphics, photographs, and text appearing on the Huntington Public Schools home page and subsequent official web pages are protected by copyright. Redistribution or commercial use is prohibited without express written permission. Comments or Questions? email the Public Information Office