The Roslyn Board of Education conducted its final review of the 2002-03 school budget at a special meeting on April 18 and its regularly scheduled meeting on April 23. After a series of comprehensive public discussions at several meetings over the last two months, the board adopted a budget of $69,803,536 for the approval of voters on May 21.

At the April 18 meeting, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Frank A. Tassone and Assistant Superintendent for Business Pamela Gluckin focused on several items that had been discussed at previous meetings. First, a comparison of per pupil expenditures in Nassau County school districts showed that Roslyn's spending is comparable to that of other north shore districts. (Roslyn, at $18,365 per student, ranked fifth in the county in 1999-2000, the latest year for which figures are available. The county average is $14,756.) A further comparison of anticipated budget-to-budget increases illustrated that many other districts are addressing similar challenges as Roslyn, such as continuing increases in enrollment, major capital expenditures and soaring insurance costs, and are also facing significant increases in the coming year.

A review of BOCES costs showed that of the more than $2 million that will be spent on BOCES services by the Roslyn Public Schools, next year, more than $340,000 is for administrative charges that are based on the district's enrollment. Every school district must pay these charges even if no BOCES services are actually used. Two-thirds of the remaining costs are for services provided to youngsters with disabilities.

Before describing some additional reductions, Ms. Gluckin first detailed the many changes that have been made to the budget to bring it down from the initial increase of about 15 percent to 11.3 percent. These reductions, totaling nearly $2.5 million, have been spread across a wide range of budget categories, including: reserves; buses; capital projects; travel and conference; supplies; custodial coverage; professional development; furniture; intramurals and "0" period programs; computer contractual services; teacher stipends; special education; consultants; health insurance; and teaching positions, which will not increase in number next year despite rising enrollment. An additional $400,000 was subsequently removed from the budget as a result of some staff reductions and an administrative reorganization, bringing the budget increase down even further to 10.69 percent.

Dr. Tassone emphasized that these changes have been made in such a way as to prevent them from having an impact directly on children. For instance, 10 teaching assistant positions are being eliminated that are primarily clerical in nature. The Superintendent indicated that, after making nearly $3 million in budget reductions, he would not recommend any further cuts as this could not be accomplished without directly affecting programs.

In response to questions raised at several recent meetings, Ms. Gluckin described the impact of a contingency budget, which must be implemented by the board of education if the budget is not approved. (Two budget votes are permitted by law). A contingent budget cap is determined by multiplying the previous year's budget, less items excluded by law (such as debt repayments) by 120 percent of the consumer price index. Certain items must, by law, be removed from a contingency budget, such as: instructional equipment and supplies; transportation equipment; athletic uniforms; and transfers to the school lunch fund. These reductions would amount to more than $1 million. The district would then have to find an additional $2 million in cuts to meet the contingent budget cap. These cuts--which are in addition to the $3 million mentioned previously that has already been taken out of the budget--would likely include cutting many teaching positions, eliminating or significantly reducing summer programs, interscholastic athletics, extracurricular activities and a number of instructional programs.

At the April 23 meeting, Dr. Tassone and Pam Gluckin presented a summary of expenditures and revenues in the administration's recommended $69,803,536 budget for next year, along with the estimated tax impact of the 10.69 percent budget-to-budget increase. For an average home assessed at $11,700, the estimated tax increase of $9.25 per $100 of assessed valuation would be $1082 per year, or $90 per month.

The budget vote and trustee election will be on Tuesday, May 21, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Roslyn High School gymnasium. For voter information, call the District Clerk at 625-6599.