The numbers that have come down from newly passed New York State budget will reduce the tax levy for the Herricks School district.

Herricks Superintendent Dr. Jack Bierwirth said, "On April 1 New York State approved a new state budget. We were pleased to learn that the new budget includes significant changes in the school aid formula which will benefit Herricks and other Long Island school districts and the communities which support them.

"The most important change is the inclusion of a new high tax aid factor which is designed to bring relief to communities on Long Island which have borne a disproportionate share of the cost of education due to historical inequities in the manner in which school aid is distributed in New York. For Herricks for 2007-08 the new high tax aid is worth $607,424.

"In total Herricks is projected to receive state aid for 2007-08 in the amount of $8,865,205. This is $703,756 more than anticipated at the time the Herricks Board of Education adopted the proposed 2007-08 budget. As in previous years all of the increase will be used to offset homeowners tax payments. This will reduce the projected increase in the tax levy to 4.95%.

"In 1987-88 state aid paid for 18 percent of the Herricks budget. Since then the state's share has declined steadily. In recent years state aid has amounted to less than 10 percent of Herricks budget. The reason for this has been well documented in studies prepared by the Long Island Association, Long Island's business organization. Very simply, Long Island schools and Long Island taxpayers have been increasingly shortchanged by an aid formula which has been distorted by high property values on Long Island."

Biewirth continued, "The Long Island Association, along with school boards and other educational and community organizations, has been pushing hard for significant changes in the formula. While this new package does not equalize Herricks or other Long Island districts with the rest of the state it is a significant step in the right direction. State aid as a percentage of Herricks budget will be above 10 percent for the first time since the 2002-03 school year. While this is still well below the 18 percent for Herricks in 1987-88 and less than one-quarter of the New York State average in 2006-07 of 45 percent, it is an improvement."

Peter Grisafi, president of the Herricks School Board, commented, "We have been fighting hard for changes in the state aid formula. It is great to see the state finally recognize that school districts like Herricks and the communities which support them are being shortchanged. Many thanks to all of our representatives for their efforts on our behalf. We are also pleased to see the changes in the STAR program. While all of the details have not been clarified we understand that significant new STAR aid has been targeted to senior citizens and other LI residents most burdened by property taxes."