As the weather warms and people begin to think about planning summer getaways, the Garden City Board of Education is in the midst of its annual budget presentations before the public. The 1999-2000 Proposed School Budget had not yet been officially adopted at press time, but was scheduled to be adopted Tuesday night by the School Board. The public will have the opportunity to vote on the budget between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. in the high school cafeteria on May 18.

According to a release issued by the district, "The proposed budget of $48,968,693 resulting in a 3.28 percent increase in appropriations was developed after careful review of requests and suggestions made by administrators and staff. The student population is anticipated to grow by 4 percent. This, coupled with inflation accounts for the majority of the increase." The release continues, "The impact of the proposal on the tax levy is an increase of 5.75 percent. It is projected that this will be partially offset by approximately $1 million in STAR reductions."

The instructional portion of the budget includes: Curriculum Development and Supervision, totaling $254,705; Principals' Office totaling $1,619,340; Research totaling $3,600; Teaching Regular School totaling $20,391,401; Teaching Special Education totaling $5,154,970; Occupational Education totaling $92,991; and Continuing Education totaling $313,143.

Teaching Regular School, the largest section of the instructional portion, includes items such as teacher salaries for classroom teachers, homebound teachers, substitute teachers, and aides, as well as conference and travel expenses, memberships and staff meetings, tests and scoring services, tuition for other districts, textbooks for both public and non-public schools, BOCES, and supplies and materials. Essentially the same kinds of expenses are found in the budget for the special education teachers. The Teaching Regular School budget increased by 5.07 percent from the 1998-99 budget and the Special Education budget increased 21.76 percent.

The district has stated that the increase stems from the addition of two regular classroom teachers at the primaries, four at Stewart, and three at Stratford. Also, there will be 1.5 more subject area teachers at the middle school and three at the high school. Additionally, one psychologist, three special education teachers, one remedial reading teacher, one speech therapist, one part-time teacher of the deaf, one part-time art teacher, one part-time physical education teacher, a "small" increase in the hours of a part-time elementary instrumental teacher, the creation of a dean position at each of the elementary schools and an assistant principal at the high school, and a chairperson position for special education at the high school have also added to the overall budget.

The district's release states, "The proposal continues the district's strong support for curriculum and staff development activities. Ample funding is provided for replacement of worn out books and the adoption of new textbooks. Support is given for integration of technology into the instructional process. For the 1999-2000 school year, the focus will be on consolidating the programs in grades 4, 5, and 6, while encouraging secondary level teachers to explore its use in their delivery of instruction. To provide support for these programs and the expansion of the network, a technician position is included in this budget proposal."

The release also states, "With the passage of the bond referendum, the amount of money targeted for capital improvements has been decreased. However, in keeping with the plan for non-bond work, $1 mllion in capital improvement projects is included in the Inter-fund Transfer to Capital Projects in the proposed budget."

While the budget is close to $50 million and the taxpayers will soon begin to feel the impact of the almost $50 million bond referendum passed in December 1998, some have speculated that the district will find it difficult to find support for this proposal, however, the Board of Education and PTA have expressed their support arguing that to ensure the level of quality education the residents expect for their children, certain expenditures must be made. The district's release concludes, "The Administration feels confident that as the Board of Education and residents review the proposed 1999-2000 school budget, they will agree that this is a fiscally sound plan that accomplishes a great deal for the 3.28 percent increase in spending."