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BSD sets budget hearings Babylon School District administrators laid out several budget scenarios for board members and the community at the school board meeting held Monday, March 10, 2008 at the high school library. The four scenarios project a tax rate increase ranging anywhere from 4.12 percent to 9.64 percent, depending on the final outcome of the state budget. "The four scenarios are just that- different scenarios based on the many variables that come into play when developing a budget," said Superintendent of Babylon Schools, Ellen Best-Laimit, PhD. The preliminary budget details that were presented at the March meeting build upon information offered to community members at a budget forum "The State of State Aid" that the district held Feb. 25. At that meeting, district personnel explained a number of inequities facing Long Island voters, including the fact that Long Islanders use 20 percent more of their gross household income to pay property taxes than other New Yorkers, send more sales tax money than any other region to Albany, and pay 44 percent more in property taxes to educate their children. Resident Richard Skelly pointed out that there has been a trend in the growth rate of about 8 percent over the past 10 years in the Babylon community. "The only way to stop that is latitude in negotiations [with the separate bargaining units]." said Skelly. The proposed 2008-2009 executive state budget adds $1.439 billion in state aid to New York schools, with 8.23 percent of that increase directed to Long Island which enrolls nearly 17 percent of the state's students. "This is the first time the original proposal from the Governor's office is giving us less state aid than we are getting in the current year," said Peter Daly PhD, assistant superintendent for business for the Babylon School District. What that means to Babylon is a reduction in its share of state aid by 1.71 percent. Last year, 18 percent of the school budget was funded through state aid, explained Daly. Laimit says the district has been in constant contact with state law makers and are hoping that a clearer picture of what Babylon's state aid will be for the 2008 - 2009 school year will emerge soon. "The budget process in terms of revenues from the state has been frustrating to say the least," said Best- Laimit. Upcoming Full Budget Presentations Saturday, March 29, 9 a.m.; Monday, March 31, 7:30 p.m. Both meetings take place in the High School Library.
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