Assemblywoman Maureen O'Connell joined her fellow Assembly Republicans representing Long Island to support a proposal that would restore Comprehensive Operating Aid (COA) to school districts throughout the state as a one-time retroactive restoration aid payment for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years. COA helps school districts pay for general operating and maintenance costs.

The legislators maintain that the 2003-04 state budget should have included a save-harmless provision guaranteeing school districts would have received level funding rather than the actual COA reductions of between 2.25 percent and 6.3 percent. While the 2004-05 state budget increased COA for all districts by 1.75 percent, it still didn't restore COA to 2002-03 funding levels. That means school districts throughout Long Island are functioning on less operating aid today than they received for the 2002-03 school year. As a result, the two-year COA deficit for Long Island school districts is an estimated $90.6 million. If this formula holds for the 2005-06 school year, Long Island school districts will lose another $37.2 million in COA, for a total of $127.8 million since 2003-04.

"We as Long Island representatives will fight hard to institute this proposal, which will benefit all of Long Island by ensuring our fair share of state aid to education, while at the same time helping to relieve the school tax burden on property owners," O'Connell said.

Assemblyman James Conte (R,C-Huntington Station), the ranking Republican member on the Assembly Education Committee, said it's imperative that this proposal is enacted this year. "According to the Long Island Index, Long Island has the highest tax burden among all the states compared, raising approximately $2,445 per resident in property taxes in 2002. New Jersey was next highest with a per capita levy of $1,872, or 23 percent lower than Long Island. The average for New York State is $1,402 per capita, or 43 percent lower than Long Island.

"On average, 62.5 percent of property taxes on Long Island support the local school districts. This proposal would go a long way to ease the growth of property tax increases for all school districts on Long Island, thereby passing the savings onto the taxpayers."

The Long Island Republican delegation has introduced a resolution that would provide a one-time retroactive restoration that equals each school district's 2003-04 COA loss, thereby effectively invoking a save-harmless provision for that fiscal year. The resolution also calls for a one-time retroactive restoration of aid for the remaining COA deficit of 2004-05, thereby invoking a second save-harmless year for 2004-05. At a minimum, school districts would be guaranteed their 2002-03 COA funding levels for the 2005-06 school year.

If enacted, the resolution would guarantee $37.9 million in COA to Nassau County school districts and $89.9 million to Suffolk County school districts.