The Mineola Board of Education is expected to adopt the proposed budget for the 2006-2007 school year at the April 6 meeting, which will be held in the Willis Avenue School at 7:30 p.m.

The school board will be most likely adopting a $71,748,519 spending plan, which represents a $4,671,929 or 6.97 percent increase over the 2005-2006 contingency budget.

Although it has been reported in this newspaper as well as previous budget meetings of the board of education and preliminary budget information handed out at the board meetings that the tax levy increase, which is the amount to be raised by taxes, was increasing by 6.79 percent. However, that increase was actually 7.39 percent.

The good news is that in presenting the budget to the public, superintendent of schools Dr. Larry Licopoli and interim assistant superintendent for business Dr. Lee Chapman had been using the governor's proposal for state aid to the Mineola School District. The budget passed by the state legislature calls for the district to receive $1,084,645 more than the governor's proposal. The total aid the district would receive under the legislature's budget amounts to $5,073,287, which is a 33 percent increase over what the district received last year from the state. The increase in state aid, according to Dr. Licopoli, should lower the tax levy increase to under 7 percent from the 2005-2006 budget.

"Our efforts in campaigning for more aid for Mineola, I think, was heard by our [assemblyman and senator] because we're anticipating a big boost," Dr. Licopoli said, adding that the district has been aggressive in recovering aid and will see a nice jump in the district's building aid.

The additional state aid should help offset some of the tax increase district residents will be seeing. On Thursday, May 4, the board will be holding a budget hearing to get final input on the proposed budget.

The proposed budget will include the continuation of the district transportation program, all sports programs including intramurals and music programs. Among some of the programs that were cut last year as a result of the district going on contingency was the 7th grade sports teams. Those teams also expect to be put back into the proposed 2006-2007 budget.

The budget vote will be Tuesday, May 16. If the budget were to fail, the board would look at cuts such as outsourcing its transportation department. This proposition could get a little tricky since the district would have to have impact negotiations with the bus drivers' union.