Further steps guv can take

The cuts in state education aid proposed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo would unfairly slash state aid for Long Island districts that need it the most.

Those cuts and a cap on property tax - should it come to pass - would be a double hit on the most vulnerable local districts, aggravating the already wide gap between the region's richest and poorest districts.

And while, as Cuomo suggested, there are local school districts sitting on overly generous reserve funds, there are others that have less in rainy day funds than they should. But even then, using reserve funds to pay teachers or hold down tax increases is, at best, one- or two-shot opportunities that will do nothing to resolve fiscal challenges over time.

Roosevelt and Hempstead are among the districts that would be hurt by aid cuts, but property-tax-poor districts such as Copiague and Levittown would be hit hard, too. Why? Because on paper, Long Island districts appear to be wealthier compared to other New York school districts.

But that's dead wrong, because the view on the ground is far different from the view from on high. Some districts have a higher proportion of high-needs students and/or lack the commercial tax base to raise enough money to make up for state aid cuts.

As always under the current system, children will end up paying the highest price - with fewer teachers and fewer programs such as sports and the arts, which are essential to rounding out students' school years.

One way to change that equation is for Cuomo to go even farther: Offer incentives for districts to consolidate. Relieve even more state-driven mandates on school districts. And make it easier for schools to negotiate harder with teachers unions by removing obstacles that increase spending even as districts try to negotiate to pull it back.

"It's like the governor has put the tax cap horse before the mandate relief cart," said Lawrence Levy, dean of Hofstra University's Center for Suburban Studies.

But even that likely won't be enough.

Which is why school districts need to rise to the challenge as well. As it is, more of them are negotiating contracts with teachers contributing co-payments to their health care costs. And some districts - and they are rare - are negotiating freezes in teacher salaries, while administrators voluntarily - again rare - are temporarily freezing their own salaries, too.

The goal should be to save money in ways that won't hurt children. And the best way to do that is by negotiating changes in existing teacher and administrator contracts.

Districts could enrich programs and save money, for example, by having more than one district use technology - but only one teacher - to teach AP courses. But that would require negotiation with teachers' unions in multiple districts.

More school districts could voluntarily combine backroom functions, or, as the Elwood School District suggested, at minimum begin talks to determine what other variations of combined school district functions would look like,

"Quality education is never going to come cheap," Levy said. "It could be cheaper on Long Island, but it is never going to be cheap."

Which is why innovation is another key. The Long Island Regional Planning Council's Long Island 2035 suggests a variety of ideas, including greater use of technology.

The bottom line: The current rate of property tax increases to fund local schools is unsustainable. And the cut in state aid plus a proposed property tax cap will put even more pressure on school districts.

School districts have a choice: Plow the same old ground, and hurt children. Or work harder at negotiations, innovate and explore ways to consolidate. It won't be easy, but, increasingly, it will be a necessity.