Assemblyman Tom Alfano called upon Governor Eliot Spitzer to provide local school districts with their fair share of school aid in his forthcoming budget he will be presenting in the next few weeks.

The governor's budget proposal is the starting point for the state budge debate that, according to Alfano, is critical to taxpayers in the Franklin Square, Floral Park, Elmont, West Hempstead, Bellerose Village, Bellerose Terrace, North Valley Stream, South Floral Park, Garden City South and Stewart Manor communities.

"Our state budget for local school districts last year was a home run. But, it would have never happened without having the local communities and school districts working with us to convince the governor that his plan was devastating for local taxpayers. His plan would have hurt students, school programs and would have hit taxpayer pocketbooks hard. This year, we're starting earlier and will fight to make sure we get our fair share of school aid," the assemblyman said.

Assemblyman Alfano pointed to a state Assembly Minority Ways and Means analysis that showed that school districts would have had two choices if the governor's plan was enacted. "It was either cut programs and services to children, or dramatically raise taxes, there was no middle ground," Alfano said.

"Under the governor's proposal last year, he cut the state's aid share to local schools like Floral Park-Bellerose, Franklin Square, Sewanhaka, Elmont, West Hempstead and Valley Stream 13. The fact is, the governor's proposal would have resulted in program and service cuts as well as having working families and seniors paying more. That plan failed our children and taxpayers," Alfano continued.

He further noted that school districts in Floral Park, Elmont, Franklin Square and Sewanhaka would have faced direct cuts to services. "Superintendents Tom Dolan, Warren Meierdiercks, Lynn Pombonyo, Al Harper and Liz Lison worked very hard with me to make our case that the state budget is critical to the success of their academic programs. It worked and we won," he said, adding, "This year, they will also have the great help of John Hogan in West Hempstead."

In this year's budget debate, Alfano said more progressive initiatives need to be examined and enacted to help lower the tax burden for homeowners. "We need to look at ways to increase our aid to local schools so that we can help reduce property taxes. We also have to look at a more fair way to pay for education. It's a disgrace that our community has to fight for our fair share considering our cost of living on Long Island."

Matt Crosson, president of the Long Island Association, has noted in many publications, "Long Island taxpayers use 20 percent more of their gross household income to pay property taxes than New Yorkers in general. The unfairness of that one fact alone should cause the state to review and revise the manner in which education aid is distributed. Long Island suffers from the inaccurate perception that the region is wealthy. In fact, 34 percent of Long Island students live in school districts whose wealth is below the state average. Long Island is predominantly a middle class region whose working people struggle to bear the tax burden placed on them. It's time Long Island got its fair share of education aid. And that must start with Governor Spitzer's executive budget."

The governor will present his budget proposal in Albany after his annual "State of the State Address." Last year, Alfano said, his proposal drastically cut the Long Island region's share of state aid from 13 percent to 8 percent. In addition, the monies lost were being redirected to the New York City schools. It was a proposal that was universally rejected.

Assemblymembers Bob Barra, Tom McKevitt, Rob Walker, Dave McDonough and Joseph Saladino joined Alfano in criticizing that budget.

After a lengthy fight during budgetary negotiations, Assemblyman Alfano and his colleagues in the state Senate, led by Senator Dean Skelos, helped provide over $100 million more state aid for Nassau and Suffolk school districts than the governor proposed. It also preserved the 13 percent share and included over $70 million in special High Tax Aid for Long Island districts.

Assemblyman Alfano serves as the Assembly delegation leader and state Senator Dean Skelos serves as the Senate leader. "Senator Skelos did a magnificent job and I will stand right by his side in this fight as we go forward together," Alfano said.

This year, Alfano noted that he would be listening to Governor Spitzer's "State of the State Message" for clues on his plan for school aid. "This is a critical matter for our community and I look forward to hearing what the governor has to say," Alfano said, concluding, "I hope he listens to taxpayers and schools and puts together a package that meets our needs."