A proposed 2010-11 school budget—still a work in progress—was outlined to the public at a budget meeting March 2. Theplan calls for maintaining all of the current programs and increasing the line item for equipment, including purchasing three new buses for the district, which provides transportation in house.

“Thisbudget did restore some of the money we had in the equipment lines and took out last year, and it keeps all existing programs in place; it does not cut any existing programs,” said Mark Flower, assistant superintendent for finance and operations who outlined the figures to date.

Flower gave the public a breakdown of the proposed spending under the governor’s budget proposal, which calls for a reduction in state aid for West Babylon from last year of approximately $2 million, to $28 million. In the event the legislature does not increase the aid in the Governor’s proposal, the district would face a 7.48 percent increase in the tax rate from $163.04 to $174.66. The proposed budget for the coming year is at $94.1 million. Part of the plan calls for utilizing some fund balance and contingency funds, where appropriate, said Flower. And, the school board and administrators will continue to work on the budget in the hope of bringing expenses down further. A budget hearing where the final budget will be outlined to the public is scheduled for April 13.

Residents at the meeting said that they hoped the board would consider doing whatever it could to rein in costs, including asking for salary givebacks from employees.

“My husband has been out of work for the past year,” said one resident. “So times are pretty tough for everyone.”

“Everyone out here is hurting,” said another resident.

Superintendent of Schools Anthony Cacciola said that salary scales are part of existing contracts and that any changes would have be part of the collective bargaining process.

Flower also outlined a contingency budget in the event the budget is voted down. Under New York State law, a school district can put up a budget two times. If the public defeats them both, the district must go to a contingency budget. Under that plan, the district would be required by law to maintain an increase that is equal to the CPI. However, since the CPI was a minus four percent this year, the district would have to actually reduce this year's budget by approximately $1.5 million, said Flower.

As residents asked how the district would handle this, Cacciola said he was not making any decisions about a contingency plan at this time.

The school board and budget vote is scheduled for Tues., May 18, 7:30 p.m.