Residents of the Westbury School District will take to the polls May 20 to vote on the proposed 2008-2009 spending plan of $98,724,521, a $7,195,072 or 7.86 percent budget-to-budget increase over the current year's contingency budget of $91,529,449.

The proposed budget's total includes debt service in the amount of $2,445,294, most of which is toward payments on the $27.87 million interest-free Qualified Zone Academy Bond (QZAB), which was voter-approved in October 2003. No payments were required for 2005-2006 and payments in 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 were $1,865,901 and $2,435,300, respectively.

Westbury's 2008-2009 proposed spending plan is broken into three components: Administrative: $9,053,337 or 9.17 percent; Program: $78,068,158 or 79.08 percent; and Capital: $11,603,026 or 11.75 percent. According to district officials, enrollment for the upcoming school year is expected to decrease by 41 students from 4,187 to 4,146.

Of the budget's total cost, school officials estimate that 29 percent or approximately $28,567,616 would be offset by state aid with taxpayers responsible for the remaining 65 percent. Additionally, as part of a statewide goal to improve student performance, New York State has initiated the Contract for Excellence by which school districts receiving an increase in funding of at least $15 million or 10 percent more than in the prior year will enter into a contract that will govern how those new funds are spent. Through the Contract for Excellence, which was created as a means to improve our children's performance and to inject greater overall accountability into the system, Westbury is set to receive $2,596,746 for the 2008-2009 school year.

Under the proposed budget, the tax rate increase will be 2.23 percent for the average Westbury homeowner (based on an average assessment of $466,800); initially, the district anticipated a 5.32 percent tax rate increase. As a result, the average homeowner's annual school tax bill would increase by approximately $22 a month or $.72 a day for an annual tax bill of around $7,548.62 - a $263.98 increase over this year's average bill of $7,284.63.

Please note, the estimated tax rate is subject to adjustments due to finalization of assessed value date and calculation of adjusted base proportions; final tax rates will be set by Nassau County.

"We believe that this budget provides the essentials to ensure a quality education for all students in the Westbury School District," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Constance Clark. "The board of education, administration and teachers are resolved to accomplish this and we believe we have done so."

Should the budget be defeated, the 2008-2009 contingency budget would be $98,515,788, a difference of $208,733. Approving the budget would represent an annual increase in the school district portion of the tax bill of $263.98. By contrast, a failed budget would also allow for a tax increase of $239.58, a difference of $24.40 for the year.

"This year it has been particularly difficult to come up with a proposed budget that allows us to continue with the programs and services for our children, while addressing the concerns of the taxpayers. We faced many challenges to develop a reasonable budget that the community can support, while at the same time sustain the upward academic progress our children continue to demonstrate," said Board of Education President Dr. Pless Dickerson. Voting for the 2008-2009 budget and election of trustees will take place on Tuesday, May 20 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Drexel Avenue, Dryden Street, Park Avenue School and Westbury middle schools. Applications for absentee ballots for eligible voters who are incapacitated or who will be out of town on May 20 may be obtained by calling the district clerk's office at 876-5026. Additional information is also available online at www.westburyschools.org.

Voting on the Carle Place School District's proposed 2008-2009 spending plan will take place Tuesday, May 20. At this time, residents will have the opportunity to vote for or against Proposition #1, which is the proposed spending plan of $42,832,135, a 4.97 percent or $2,083,145 increase over the current year's budget of $40,803,990. In addition to the spending plan, voters will also be asked to approve three additional propositions: Proposition #2 asks voters to establish a Capital Reserve Fund with a $10 million cap to be funded over a 15-year period; Proposition #3 asked voters to establish a Repair Reserve Fund of $1 million; and Proposition #4 asks voters to elect two school board trustees.

Information on each of the propositions is as follows:

The annual school district's budget is broken down into three components - Administrative, Program and Capital - the proposed 2008-2009 costs are: Administrative - $4,182,513 or 9.797 percent, an increase of $113.383 from the current year; Program - $32,806,070 or 76.59 percent, a $1,816,413 increase from the current year; and Capital - $5,745,203 or 13.64 percent, a $98,349 increase from this year.

For 2008-2009, the district is anticipating a state aid reimbursement of a little over $4 million or 9.5 percent; for the current year, the district received about $3.3 million or 8 percent. Based on this amount, the total property tax revenue required to support next year's spending plan is estimated at $36,632,135; the amount represents an increase in the total school district property tax levy of 4.41 percent.

Based on the proposed spending plan, school taxes for the average Carle Place homeowner for 2008-2009 will increase by $266.16. For the current year, the average assessment was $484,800 for an average tax bill of $5,661.41. For 2008-2009, the tax-to tax-levy is 4.41 percent and the average assessment is $507,600 for an average tax bill of around $5.927.57. Currently, Carle Place is ranked the 14th lowest of 40 K-12 Nassau County school districts in average tax rate.

Should the budget be defeated, the proposed budget would be put forth again and, in the event the second attend also fails, the district would be subject to a state mandated cap of 3.36 percent, after adjustments. Such a cap, according to the district's budget newsletter, would necessitate the district cutting $724,138 from the proposed budget in the following areas: student supplies, equipment, field trips, club/co-curricular/intramural activities, athletics, community use of facilities, community services and program support staff. In Carle Place, a contingency budget would result in an overall budget increase of 3.2 percent.

The 2008-2009 contingency budget would be $42,107,997 or $724,138 less than what has been proposed, resulting in $117.17 less a year for the average home.

In addition to the budget (Proposition #1), residents will also be asked to vote for or against a second proposition. Passage of Proposition #2 asks voters to establish a Capital Reserve Fund with a $10 million cap to be funded over a 15-year period. According to the district's budget newsletter, there would be no cost in the general fund budget. The district would look to fund the reserve through the allocation of un-appropriated fund balance monies from year-to-year.

Reserve funds can be thought of as a self-imposed savings accounts for particular purposes into which funds can be deposited over a period of time until the desired amount is accrued. The money would be used for the cost of renovation, reconstruction and construction of district buildings, including planning costs and site work.

New York State requires voters to approve reserve funds of this type. Further, voter approval is required to spend money from a reserve fund, as established under Education Law Section 3651.

Listed on the ballot as Proposition #3, this item asked the voter to establish a Repair Reserve Fund for $1 million. According to the district's budget newsletter, there would be no cost in the general fund budget. The fund would be created by transferring $1 million from an existing reserve known as the Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve Fund. The monies would be used for the cost of repairs to capital improvements or equipment not recurring annually or at shorter intervals.

A Repair Reserve many not be funded without voter approval. Expenditures in non-emergency situations require a public hearing, following publication of a notice in the district's official newspaper at least five days in advance of the public hearing describing the purpose of the proposed expenditure and the time and place of the public hearing.

Elections for the Carle Place Board of Education will take place Tuesday, May 20. This year, Barry Dennis and John DiFranco are seeking re-election unopposed. The election of trustees will be listed on the ballot as Proposition #4. Trustee terms are three years. Voting for the Carle Place School District's proposed 2007-2008 budget will take place Tuesday, May 20 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the high school library. To be eligible to vote, you must be 18 years of age or older, a United States citizen and reside in the district for more than 30 days prior to the vote. Residents can register in the superintendent's office between 9 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each school day up to and including May 15. Additionally, the district will hold a budget hearing Tuesday, May 13 at 8 p.m. in the high school's north cafeteria. For further information or to obtain an absentee ballot, contact the Carle Place District Clerk's office at 622-6575.