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Roosevelt school budget calls for 3% tax hike

BY JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER | jennifer.kelleher@newsday.com

May 3, 2008

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Roosevelt school administrators are hopeful that voters in the community won't be shocked by the steep spending increase in the district's proposed budget.

Next school year's proposed $78-million budget is a 23.7-percent spike, the largest percentage increase for Long Island districts. But thanks to a $7-million increase in state aid, the proposal will raise taxes by only about 3 percent.

"I'm hoping that they'll see our tax rate is very reasonable," said Karen Chapman, the district's interim superintendent for business. "It's modified by the fact we have an increase in aid coming in."

But officials have to be very sensitive to any tax hike for homeowners in the state-run, economically challenged district. When the budget passed on a revote last year it was the first time in three years the district didn't have to operate on a contingency budget.

"We made our best efforts to take into consideration what taxpayers face in Roosevelt," said board member Carl DeHaney Jr.

A bulk of the increased spending will go toward opening two newly constructed buildings in September, which will require more staff such as custodians and clerks, Chapman said. The new middle school means that students will no longer have to share a building with older high school students. And the new Ulysses Byas Elementary means children no longer have to travel to Centennial Elementary, where they had been attending during demolition and construction.

Marcus Patrick, 34, said the promise of new buildings outweighs the financial strain of being a homeowner and single father with three children in the district. His daughter, 11, will be attending the new middle school while his younger son and daughter will go to Ulysses Byas.

"If it's going to improve the school district in a positive way, I'm all for it," he said of his decision to vote for the budget on May 20. "It's like a double-edged sword. It's good for the kids, but our taxes are going to go up."

The proposal also calls for hiring a director of guidance to oversee scheduling to address past problems of students not having class schedules in time for the start of the year. Other additions include two full-time kindergarten teachers, a psychologist and a discipline teacher who will handle in-school suspension, Chapman said.

"I believe things are looking up," DeHaney said. "It's difficult sometimes to see the progress that's being made in the midst of generations of mess."

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