With school districts recently holding budget hearings as they prepared for the annual budget vote, residents may have heard that a major obstacle facing the district was a state aid freeze. Consider that districts have gotten the same school aid packages for the 2001-2002 school year as they did in 2000-2001 and 1999-2000. However, costs to educate students have gone up during that time.

It is a problem school districts have been faced with in putting together the proposed 2002-2003 school budgets as voters were asked to approve budgets that reflect the state aid freeze.

In the Elmont Union Free School District, for instance, residents were asked to approve a budget that reflected an increase of $3.9 million in expenditures with a tax rate increase of $6.97 per $100 of assessed valuation. However, according to the Elmont School District, the district was impacted by increases in special education expenditures because of its high number of students with special needs.

In addition, the Elmont School District depleted its fund balance, which is normally used to offset a greater increase in the tax rate. More state funding would have definitely helped maintain a fund balance.

With many school districts facing similar problems, the good news is that help is on the way. With the recent approval of the state budget, there is more state aid on the way. New York State Assemblyman Tom Alfano, who represents Elmont, Franklin Square and West Hempstead, was proud to announce that additional state aid will be headed for area school districts.

"Each of the districts [Elmont, Franklin Square, Sewanhaka Central High School District and West Hempstead] needed this aid package and I was determined to make it happen," Alfano said. "Now programs don't have to be cut and schools can continue to invest in the curriculums they've prepared."

The additional school district aid packages are:

Franklin Square School District $1,645,515 (+38.1 percent)

Elmont Union Free School District $867,000 (+6.49 percent)

West Hempstead School District $528,016 (+10.32 percent)

Sewanhaka Central High School District $1,098,635 (+ 6.36 percent)

The additional funds came from the state's "rainy day" funds, tax amnesty, and a re-prioritization of the state budget.

With the proposed budgets being adopted before the additional state aid was secured, residents voted on budgets that reflected the state aid freeze. Now, school districts have some options. They could use the additional revenue to offset the tax rate, but it is more likely it will be used to replenish fund balances or finance programs that may have been cut in school districts' efforts to put forth a fiscally responsible budget.

"This is a great win for our local communities," Alfano said. "I'm glad I was able to help our local schools."