Coalition for Glen Cove

Agenda of Coalition for Glen Cove meeting

Thursday 27 May, 2004, 7:30 PM at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

Essay contest winner Lindsay Chastain.

The revote on the school budget is scheduled for Thursday, June 17th, and the school board budget hearing will be on Monday, June 7th.

The budget increase between last year's budget and the new budget will be 4.6% and the estimated tax increase will be 5.8%.

If the budget is defeated the District will be forced to adopt a contingency budget with an increase of 3.5% and a tax increase of 4.7%. Under a contingency budget at least five teaching positions will be eliminated, no equipment can be bought, and all capital projects, such as the security cameras in the middle school, will be eliminated.

Some Long Island budgets with greater increases passed, such as Valley Stream at 12%, while some failed with lower increases, such as Floral Park at 5.3%. The average increase in New York State was 6% while the average increase was 7.9% on Long Island Newsday reports that 85% of budgets in New York State passed, down from 94% last year. On Long Island, 62% of budgets passed..

There are many explanations of why the Glen Cove budget was rejected by the voters: reassessment, the cost of gasoline and milk, the Roslyn business manager scandal, high teachers’ salaries, high administrators’ salaries, local anti-tax groups, advocates of charter schools, some parents unhappiness about the schools and their children’s courses, and low marks on standardized tests. It is hard to understand these in a way that will lead to a coherent plan to convince voters to pass the reduced budget.

Some people have asked for budget fliers to distribute. Janet Bates-Wilkins has written a letter to the community that we can help distribute.

Several people have offered to write letters to the papers supporting the budget.  A letter from Bob Desiano was in today’s Record Pilot and last week’s Gazette.