School budget crisis

School budgets are going up this year all across New York State.

According to the New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA), which keeps a close eye on these things, “almost three-quarters of school districts have estimated tax levy increases of at least six percent, according to property tax report card data submitted to the state education department in April. The average estimated school tax levy—the amount schools intend to raise from local school taxes—is up 8.6 percent. Estimated tax rates were not reported.”

Although the media have reported strong prospects for about $500 million in school funding beyond what Governor Pataki had proposed in January, official sources have yet to confirm that figure more than a week after it was first reported. The budget deal, in which it was included, was described as “a work-in-progress, with many issues still on the table.”

NYSSBA went on to say that only a small portion of any boost in school funding is expected to supplement operating aid—the core form of state aid for school districts. Most of the money is expected to be used to restore supplemental aids that had been knocked out by Pataki, such as BOCES aid. Districts use that form of state funding to purchase services from BOCES, which can range from occupational education to computer services.

Locally, districts have been hit by the “re-mortgaging” of state aid on building projects, which would be stretched out over many years, with state payments considerably smaller than needed to pay off existing bond obligations.

Sullivan West is renovating its buildings and is preparing to build a new high school. How will stretched state aid payments impact future tax bills?

Eldred Central School (ECS) is paying off bonds on the construction of MacKenzie Elementary School and will need to bond repairs to the seven-year-old building next fall.

There are other problems. Lumberland has an ongoing dispute with state real property tax officials over assessment of the Mirant Corporations hydroelectric facilities. The resulting inequity, in state equalization rates for the district, has shifted more of the tax levy to Highland taxpayers in the ECS district, which have translated into school tax bill increases of some 40 percent over the past two years.

ECS officials say the Legislature is considering legislation to set aside large properties that cause these shifts, but there is no guarantee of its approval.

Critics say that boards of education have to tighten up their operations. ECS board candidate Vincent Zike specifically cited the “ungodly” high taxes on his home as a reason for his seeking a board seat this year.

Incumbent board members say they have few options in their personnel-heavy budgets. Cutting faculty may not always mean eliminating programs, but it will always mean a downgrading of those programs.

Insurance costs, after the 9/11 attack, have skyrocketed, while state revenues and associated state aid have plummeted. Board members say these issues are beyond their control.

In most cases, they are correct. Earlier studies citing shortcomings in public educational systems have prompted newer, more stringent standards, and better… always costs more.

A more complicated world demands better educated citizens to populate it. These new costs, long since translated into higher costs in college education, have now come home to roost at the primary level where they must be addressed.

When our local school districts have taxing inequities, action needs to be demanded to correct them. If there are areas of costly inefficiency, we need to fix them, because we will have other costs which can’t readily be reduced without risking the value of the product. And that’s a risk we can’t afford to take.

So let’s bite the financial bullet and vote yes on the school budgets. In the end, it’s a cheaper alternative to an uneducated populace.

David Hulse, News Editor