The School Budget
Shortly after the first of each year, the
teachers send their principals and curriculum coordinators a list of
the textbooks, workbooks, software, educational equipment, and
facilities that they will need to teach their classes in the next
school year along with a list of expenditures that could be reduced
or eliminated . The principals and curriculum coordinators combine
these lists and submit them to the superintendent of schools. The
superintendent and her assistants add salaries for administrators,
teachers, aides, and staff, and the cost of utilities, maintenance,
repairs, busing, and interest, weighing and prioritizing expenses
that need to be reduced.
The assistant superintendent for business
estimates the revenue that the district can expect to receive from
sources such as State Aid and subtracts that from the proposed
expenses to determine the amount that will have to be raised from
local taxes. The superintendent then presents the budget to the
school board. The board adjusts the budget to an amount that
reflects both their responsibility to support a good school system
and their responsibility toward the taxpayers of Glen Cove.
Each year the school administration puts
together a budget that is a compromise between consideration for the
taxpayers and the need of the school district to provide an
education that is appropriate to the abilities of many kinds of
students. We are paying today to educate the people who tomorrow
will be our political leaders, professionals, entrepreneurs, and
skilled employees, making today an investment in the culture and
prosperity of the Long Island of tomorrow.
Why does the cost of running the schools increase almost every
year?
The cost of running the schools increases each
year because the cost of living increases each year, the number of
students has been increasing slightly each year, and some costs,
such as fuel, bussing, and employee health insurance have been
increasing at well above the increase in the cost of living.
School taxes
The Glen Cove schools are public schools that
are paid for primarily by taxes on homes and businesses in Glen
Cove. By law, the difference between the cost of running the schools
and the aid provided by New York State is paid by taxing every
property in the City of Glen Cove in proportion to the assessed
value of that property. You can have your property taxes reduced by
applying for a STAR reduction, which is available to everyone and is
larger for low-income senior citizens.
Why do school taxes increase almost every year?
When the nation’s economy is good and incomes
and retail sales increase, the amount of money raised from income
and sales taxes increases automatically. No increase in the income
tax rate or sales tax rate is necessary.
In contrast, we pay school taxes on the
assessed value of our houses and other buildings. Although the value
of our houses and buildings usually increases each year, their
assessed value is set by the city and seldom increases. Therefore,
the only way to increase the amount of money raised from property
taxes is to raise the tax rate. Since the cost of running the
schools increases every year, the property tax rate must increase
each year.
The property tax is a regressive tax. People
with low incomes pay a much higher fraction of their income in
property tax than do people with high incomes. Since the cost of
running a school system is almost the same in all school districts,
people who live in areas with moderate or low cost houses and little
commercial or industrial property pay a much higher property tax
rate than people in other areas.
The way Nassau County assesses buildings adds
to this unfairness. Assessments are based on what the cost to
construct the building would have been in 1935. Therefore, a home
that would have cost $5000 to build in 1935 but has recently sold
for $500 000 is assessed the same as a home that would have cost the
same to build in 1935, but has recently sold for $200 000. Even
worse, many businesses and homeowners have contested their unfair
assessments in court and have won assessment reductions that not
only force other property owners to pay higher taxes, but also force
the school district and the City of Glen Cove to refund over $2 000
000 each year in taxes that were overpaid in previous years.
Fortunately, the City of Glen Cove has begun to
reassess all property within its borders in order to reflect the
actual market value of each property. This will, in the next few
years, remove both part of the unfairness of property taxes and the
amount the school district and city have to pay each year in tax
refunds.
Why is the school budget vote important?
The
school budget allows the schools to educate every student in the
community. If a community fails to pass a responsible budget, many
students are not able to get the education they need. Programs are
eliminated, textbooks, supplies and equipment are not bought,
necessary maintenance is put off, and the construction necessary to
avoid overcrowding is not done. Because the maintenance and
janitorial budget is reduced, outside organizations can be required
to pay to use school buildings, which may eliminate some
organizations that provide stimulating and enriching programs for
our children.
As we
require our students to master more technical knowledge and to pass
more difficult tests our students are more dependent on the
resources that the school budget supplies. Cuts affect the quality
of education for everyone. |