On May 20, residents of the Mineola School District will be voting on a proposed $78,325,275 budget for the 2008-2009 school year. The proposed budget calls for $69,577,944 to be raised by taxes. The amount to be raised by taxes or the tax levy is 1.85 percent greater than the 2007-2008 budget. That 1.85 percent is the seventh lowest in Nassau County behind Freeport (-1.31 percent), Lawrence (-0.32 percent), Elmont (0 percent), West Hempstead (0.77 percent), New Hyde Park-Garden City Park (1.24 percent) and Farmingdale (1.31 percent). (Valley Stream District #24 and Roosevelt did not file.)

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Larry Licopoli said the district is in good shape when it comes to the district's budget, but the district could find itself in better financial shape in the future if the board of education was to decide to close schools, although the communities where those home schools are located may not be too pleased.

Dr. Licopoli said the district is where it ought to be when it comes to the size of the staff given the way the district is set up. A reduction of staff, however, would accompany any school closings.

The board of education sent a survey out to all school district homes asking for comment on possible options or closing schools. As of Friday, the district received 1,400 responses.

The survey responses will be analyzed by the board's consultant, School Leadership LLC.

Of course, local lawmakers have been clamoring for a few years now that Nassau County school districts aren't getting their fair share of state aid. In a letter written by Nassau County Comptroller Howard Weitzman in December 2004, Weitzman points out that in 2002, Nassau County taxpayers funded 78.1 percent of school budgets through taxes while in New York State, only 45.6 percent of school budgets on average were funded by taxes.