The Farmingdale Lobbying Committee recently took a trip to Albany to discuss a number of elements in Governor Pataki's proposed budget that will significantly impact school districts. Foremost on this agenda is the reinstatement of lost state aid. In the governor's proposed budget, the Farmingdale school district will lose 17 percent of its state aid, more than $3.2 million. This aid must be fully restored in order to preserve academic programs. Another key issue is the inclusion of a regional cost factor in the operating aid formula. The cost of living on Long Island is substantially higher than in many other regions of the state.

Operating aid is critical as school districts implement both higher standards and graduation requirements. If operating aid is not increased, districts will be forced to increase local taxes. Excess cost aid for disabled students and BOCES aid must be removed from the district's operating aid, according to Farmingdale lobbyists. This aid - which is tied to specific special education students - will be capped under the governor's proposed budget, limiting the schools' ability to meet the needs of these students. Pataki's budget will freeze aid for the use of BOCES-coordinated services.

Unfunded mandates are a major expense for school districts and taxpayers, lobbyists say. Many of these mandates are already in place, such as the state standards, testing program, and academic intervention requirements, which entail costly test prep programs, screening procedures, test scoring, staff development and academic intervention services.

Additional unfunded mandates include the new requirement for defibrillators - with trained coaches and staff - in all schools and for all athletic events, and the implementation of a period-by-period attendance program, requiring a change in the student-management system and an increase in office staff. These mandates must be supported by state funds, the Lobbying Committee says.

Other issues on the agenda are the Wicks Law and re-assessments. School construction projects should be exempt from the Wicks Law, which requires a costly and time consuming bidding process for each trade, the Committee says. Eliminating this process will save school districts time and will reduce project costs, say lobbyists.

The Farmingdale Lobbying Committee is made up of a number of concerned individuals from the community, including residents, students, school administrators and teachers. Committee members who went to Albany were: Pat Harrigan, Barbara Horsley, Lisa Bell, Vicki Impollonia, Marie Bell, Lucille Meyerson, Shirley Boutin, Jessica Miller, Dana Lin, Nicole Alaimo, Michael Mulligan, Aldous Advincula, Jeff Spiro, Ken Ulric, Peggy Tomko, Laura Ulric, Katie Petrullo, Jaimee Kahn, Matthew Guastavino, Linda Levatino, Susan Harricharran, Steve Weiss, Stephanie Dorsainvil, Timothy Keogh, Casey Seales, Caroline Barker.