On Tuesday, April 18, the Garden City Board of Education adopted a budget with an increase 9.86 percent, reduced from the 10.65 percent increase originally proposed by the superintendent. This brings the total dollar amount of the budget from the proposed $55,290,243 down to $54,896,368.

Even though the 2000-01 budget will be reduced, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stephen Leitman, in announcing the reductions assured the audience that services would not be sacrificed. Several factors contributed to the reduced budget figure. The postponement of 4.5 custodial positions until the following school year, a delay in the maintenance of classroom floors, the postponement of the purchase of a new maintenance van, a reduction in furniture purchases and a reduction in the number of computers for elementary classrooms all contribute to the budget reduction. The board and superintendent assured residents that no reductions were made to instructional programs. The total reduction to the proposed budget totals $393,875 which would increase the average homeowner's tax rate by 8.28 percent.

Much of the increase from the 1999-2000 budget is due to factors beyond the district's control such as the rise in health insurance costs, debt service on the bond, contractual salary increases and a 3.03 percent enrollment increase.

Following the superintendent's presentation on the budget, time was allotted for questions from the board and residents regarding the proposal. Board of Education president Linda Leone, addressed the concerns of some residents by explaining that the school accounting system was "archaic and convoluted" and didn't leave room for moneys to be channeled to the programs that the school board might like to see them go. Leone added that, beginning next year, the accounting, as well as the budget system, was going to be overhauled. She went on to state that when the original budget was proposed to the board they found that a double-figure budget in the percentage increase would not only be a burden on the taxpayers but would not be passed.

As a board, according to Leone, they felt they could not go through the budget line by line cutting programs, but rather went to the administration to find what services could be reduced and which could be changed. Leone stressed that even though the budget is tight, it has some flexibility to it and no student will suffer from the reductions.

Some audience members expressed concern that by deferring costs to another year and another budget, the board was not addressing the issues, but rather was making problems for other boards and future years. Another concern raised was the decrease in the number of computers in the classrooms, but the board assured the audience that no computers would be removed from the computer labs.

Copies of the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2000-01 will be made available to taxpayers within the district upon request and at each of the schools in the district during school hours, by May 1. The board will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget on May 8. The budget vote will be held on Tuesday, May 16 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m.