State Aid Drops, Who Will Foot the Bill?

State-wide, financial aid to Long Island school districts will fall from the 2010/11 school year level by over $2 billion in 2011/12. That represents a loss of 9.1% of funding for LI schools. These numbers are serious for all taxpaying residents and the children we educate.

Here in Smithtown, it means that we are losing $5,080,994.00 of state funding. This loss equals a -15.3% change. It means that the Smithtown Central School District will need to 'find' over 2% of our current budget to be able to afford a zero-change budget next year, if this is the only change.

Unfortunately, it is probable that we will, at the same time, face another multi-million dollar end-of-the-financial-year surprise payment to cover post-employment obligations. That is, the district must pony up when the depressed market doesn't cover retirement payments that are due. None of this large hunk of our school budget is 'for the kids.'

The special Citizens' Advisory Committee will soon give preliminary reports to our PTAs about potential school closings in order to better serve the declining student population and conserve our financial resources. Bear in mind that there are other ways in which to truly use our resources wisely that have not, yet, been put on the proverbial table.

As some parents learned in the busing referendum do-over, sometimes the savings we
spend so much time seeking aren't there; they reside elsewhere. Why aren't we looking in all the right places?

Referendum on Busing Change Restores Coverage for Students

Read the Smithtown Patch article on the contentious issue of busing students to New York State guidelines, about four months after the initial vote, the extra 5 miles are back in Smithtown.

One could be excused for confusedly calling this a re-vote, which is, of course, illegal.

click here to read the Smithtown Patch

Stupid in America

John Stossel's ABC story about education. see here