Superintendent's Message
In December 2009, Governor David Paterson authorized a delay of 10% of one month’s school aid and 19% of the district’s STAR payment. For Lindenhurst, this translated to a delay of approximately $350,000 and $2.4 million respectively. Thus, a total of $2.75 million in NYS state aid payments had been delayed. The district recently received these monies. If the governor can ignore state laws to temporarily withhold aid, what will stop him from withholding aid permanently? The governor has threatened a second round of delayed payments to schools in March and has proposed significant cuts to education in his budget for 2010-2011.
This puts Lindenhurst in an untenable position. We cannot tell students, “Potentially, we will allow your teachers to teach your classes, we will continue to provide the academic intervention services you receive and we will allow you to participate in athletics or other extracurricular activities.” We cannot tell our employees, “Potentially we will pay your salaries.” We cannot tell our vendors, “Potentially we will pay the bill.”
It seems that gone are the days of advocating for state aid increases. We find ourselves hoping that state aid will at least remain flat. We are constantly bombarded with news of budget deficits and the expectation of probable cuts in state aid for 2010-2011. In addition, the federal stimulus money is only committed by the federal government through 2010-2011. This money is only a temporary “fix.” Clearly, the district will reach a point where we can no longer dodge the bullet. Indeed, New York State’s financial future looks grim, and this does not bode well for Lindenhurst Public Schools. As we plan for next year’s school budget, we are looking for ways to further reduce spending and to remain financially prudent. We don’t wish to lose educational programs, which in many cases have taken years to develop and implement and have resulted in improved results for our students. Unfortunately, programmatic cuts and larger class sizes may be inevitable.
In the words of a recent article in a NYS School Boards publication, we must be “vigilant, visible, and vocal, if public education is to retain its rightful place atop NYS’s priorities.” We cannot be complacent. We must contact our legislators and let them know that education must remain a top priority. Help support and advocate for our schools!
Sincerely,
Richard Nathan