The Massapequa Board of Education, along with the input of community committees and central administration members, has been working to formulate a school budget for the 2007-2008 school year.

The proposed budget, district officials said, keeps the tax levy increase to a minimum by utilizing all of the district's available resources, such as building rentals that lower yearly taxes by $1,275,000 and federal, state, and shared services grants that district administrators and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Maureen Flaherty have concentrated on obtaining for the district.

In addition, the district has installed energy efficient boilers, windows, and lighting in each building, resulting in savings of approximately $500,000 in energy costs.

After much planning, the board of education adopted a 2007-2008 recommended operating budget of $156,570,819, which represents an increase of 6.78 percent.

Voting on the proposed budget will take place Tuesday, May 15, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents of the Massapequa School District may vote at one of four locations: Massapequa High School, Fairfield Elementary School, McKenna Elementary School, and Lockhart Elementary School.

As with other districts throughout Long Island, the Massapequa district received good news when the state budget gave additional aid to Long Island schools, enabling the board of education to reduce Massapequa's original budgeted tax levy from 6.98 percent to 5.8 percent.

Not only did the board of education and district administrators work actively to petition the state legislature for a fair share of state aid, parents and community members, under the direction of the PTA, launched a massive letter writing campaign, and sent hundreds and hundreds of letters regarding regional cost adjustments to the legislature.

Community input and support, district officials said, was not only vital to the state reconsidering its distribution of funding to Long Island schools, but will also determine whether the Massapequa School District will have the opportunity to take advantage of a one-time offering of EXCEL funds being offered to districts by the state.

In addition to voting on the budget, Massapequa voters will register a "yes" or "no" vote on whether to accept state funds, or what district officials term as "free money" in the form of EXCEL funds. If the resolution is passed, the district will receive an additional $5.7 million to use for specific purposes as mandated by state law.

For Massapequa students, EXCEL funds, district officials added, would improve handicapped access in all buildings, particularly those elementary schools that do not have second-floor access. Safety and security in each building would also be addressed, including a "threat and vulnerability" assessment, officials said. Abatement work in crawlspaces would also be slated to begin if the community approves the EXCEL funds, and in technology, the district will begin a replacement program to obtain new computers that are at the end of their useful life, school officials maintained.

"Without the community's approval of EXCEL funds, none of these things can happen," stated Assistant Superintendent for Business Alan Adcock. "The input and support of the community, the vision of the board of education and administration, and the hard work of the teachers has paid off tremendously for Massapequa students, and will continue to do so as we move forward into a new budget year."

Along with the budget vote and the EXCEL proposition, residents of the Massapequa School District will also choose a board of education member. Arlene Martin and Tim Taylor are the two candidates for the BOE seat. They will also vote on the Massapequa Library budget.