The Garden City School District will see a relief in state aid since the 2002-03 state budget has allocated a much-needed increase totaling more than $350,000. Despite financial challenges faced this year, Senator Kemp Hannon said he is pleased that the state is able to provide the district with a significant increase that will enable Garden City schools to provide the highest quality education possible, while keeping property taxes under control.

Currently, state aid makes up only 5.62 percent or $3,741,418 of the proposed 2002-03 $66,497,128 budget voted on this past Tuesday. According to Dr. Stephen Leitman, superintendent of schools, the state's new $4,096,144 budget proposal offers the district an increase in excess of $350,000.

Dr. Leitman, who attended a luncheon last Friday afternoon with other district superintendents, said the Garden City school district would likely hold the money for the next three months since administration officials don't have to set the tax levy until Aug. 15.

The school aid package totals more than $14.6 billion, the highest level in state history. As a result of this increase, school aid increased by $4.8 billion since 1995, a 49 percent hike since 1995.

"With this budget we are strengthening our commitment to maintaining and improving the quality of education we provide to our children," Hannon said. "In the face of terrorist attacks, a downturn in the economy and budget deficit that we had to close, we were still able to find a way to provide equitable, fair and significant assistance to our public schools."

Dr. Leitman said, "We're playing a safe hand here. We're going to wait until all the finances come in. Also, at this particular time the board hasn't had a chance to even digest the increase ... Come July and August we'll see what we're going to do with it. We still haven't gotten our final building aid projections and some of that other stuff so let's see where all the aid comes out and then we'll know where we're going to go," he said.

Overall, the education aid package for New York is valued at $610 million above the executive budget recommendations and $440 million over the 2001-02 school year. This package, according to Hannon, includes a $420 million increase in formula driven aids, $30 million in other education programs and a $10 million reduction in certain categorical grants. Moreover, the package unfreezes BOCES aid and excess cost aid for disabled pupils, provides $134 million in flexible operating aids and ensures that no district receives less than they would have under the executive budget proposal.

Other highlights of the education budget include:

-Comprehensive Operating Aid is increased by $59 million. This category reflects a streamlining of five separate aid categories into one;

-Operating Standards Aid is increased by $75 million;

-BOCES aid is restored and fully funded at $55 million;

-Excess Cost Aid, which goes to districts to pay for special education programs for handicapped children, is increased by $228 million, the first increase in two years;

-$67.4 million is provided for Teacher Support Aid;

-$30 million is provided for Teacher Centers;

-$6 million for the Mentor-Intern program, a $1 million increase;

-$1 million for the Shanker Program (for national teacher certification grants);

-$204 million for Universal Pre-K programs;

-$11 million for full-day kindergarten programs; and

-$140 million for Class Size Reduction Aid.