Included in Gov. Andrew Cuomo's state budget is a 3.3 percent increase in spending on education next year, but that doesn't mean every school district is getting a 3.3 percent bump in state aid, and for Three Village it's far from the case so far.
That's according to Jeffrey Carlson, assistant superintendent for business services, who said while initially it looks like Three Village will be receiving an extra $832,525 from the state, it's actually closer to $50,000 once all the types of state aid categories are taken into consideration.
However, Carlson said, the good news is that the $50,000 increase represents the minimum – and that the final state aid projections usually increase from that minimum by the time the state legislature finalizes the budget.
"From my point of view, I didn’t want to see us going down. That’s what I was looking for, and it didn’t. That’s a good sign. I wasn’t counting on more than what we’ve got," Carlson said.
Last year, during the school budget proceedings, Three Village in April after the state legislature approved a budget.
The governor's projections for state aid arrive at a time when the school district is coping with a gap of about $7.7 million between a rollover budget – meaning one that maintains current levels of programs, staffing and services – and a budget that would fall within the state cap on the tax levy increase.
"I think it will ultimately be, before we start making cuts to anything, somewhere around $7 million that we need to make up for by cutting things," Carlson said.
State Aid to 3VCSD
School Year Final State Aid Total 2005-06 $30.4 million 2006-07 $31.5 million 2007-08 $34.8 million 2008-09 $36.0 million 2009-10 $37.5 million2010-11 $36.1 million
2011-12 $35.8 million
2012-13 $35.3 million 2013-14 $35.3 million*
*from Governor's budget proposal
