Long Island

VGISLISG

School advocates said Wednesday that 90-percent-plus passing rates in statewide budget elections prove voters want to decide for themselves how education dollars are spent. 
Their main point: Maintaining local control is better than the 2 percent property-tax cap proposed by Gov. Andrew M. <a href="/topics/Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> to curb school spending. 
"We already have a democratic process for capping property taxes, and it works pretty well," said Richard Iannuzzi, president of the 600,000-member <a href="/topics/New_York_State_United_Teachers">New York State United Teachers</a> union. 
Iannuzzi, who taught in <a href="/topics/Central_Islip%2C_NY">Central Islip</a>, noted that school spending increases have slowed in recent years, both statewide and on Long Island. He called Cuomo's tax-cap plan "ill-conceived." 
Not surprisingly, the governor drew a different conclusion from Tuesday's vote. Island residents approved all but five of 124 district budgets -- a 96 percent passage rate. 
"I think the message is getting out," Cuomo said Wednesday. "We've reined in state spending. We now have to rein in local government and school spending. I think you saw that in a lot of these school district budgets." 
On the Island, the average budget will rise less than the 2.3 percent inflation rate next year, as districts trim staffs and unions agree to salary concessions. But taxes will increase nearly 4 percent to make up for cuts in state school aid. 
In the <a href="/topics/William_Floyd">William Floyd</a> district -- to cite the most dramatic example -- voters on Tuesday narrowly agreed to a 12.47 percent hike in next year's taxes. That's on top of an 8.53 percent increase this year. 
School advocates cite voters' action as evidence that they will accept higher taxes to save music classes, sports and other popular programs. Residents would resent any state attempt to dictate how much they can spend, advocates add. 
"Do they want to pay higher taxes? No, they don't," said Wendell Chu, superintendent of <a href="/topics/East_Islip%2C_NY">East Islip</a> schools. "But when they're given a choice of higher taxes or cuts in programs, they're voting against cuts in programs." 
Relatively few people actually voted, however. The 288,590 who participated on the Island on Tuesday represented less than 16 percent of voters in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> counties, according to April 1 figures on registered voters from the state Board of Elections. 
Tax activists contend voters are discouraged by state rules that sharply limit the amount of money saved when school budgets are rejected. 
"Most people don't even want to bother anymore," said Fred Gorman of <a href="/topics/Nesconset%2C_NY">Nesconset</a>, organizer of a regional tax group, Long Islanders for Educational Reform. "You've got to listen to the governor -- he's absolutely right." 
Cuomo's proposed 2-percent limit would kick in during the 2012-13 school year. The only costs exempted from the cap would be for construction and legal settlements. The cap could be overridden by vote of the local governing board and a 60 percent majority in a local referendum. 
The <a href="/topics/U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a>-led Senate has passed the governor's bill. The Assembly, controlled by <a href="/topics/U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>, has not taken it up, but has promised to introduce its own version soon. 
Some school officials such as Joseph Laria, who is <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a>'s superintendent, think a cap might work, if exemptions are added for such costs as state-mandated pensions and health care. Laria notes that his colleagues managed to find savings when state fiscal pressures demanded it. 
"Isn't it interesting," he said, "that when our backs were to the wall, we all tightened our belts and made do with less, and people supported our budgets."

Education

LISKUL19

School advocates: Results rebut guv plan

School District Budget voting

Long Island's school districts are saddled with $3.7 billion in long-term debt, the price of years of borrowing for construction and improvements ranging from solar panels and upgraded ventilation systems to science labs, refurbished auditoriums and updated athletic fields. 
While the state picks up part of the tab -- in some cases, the majority of it -- property owners, too, are on the hook for this fixed cost, which is plugged into district budgets already straining under dramatic cuts in state aid and the expense of government mandates. 
School budgets that residents in most of the Island's 124 districts will be asked to approve Tuesday include principal and interest due annually on bonds -- indebtedness that over the past decade was encouraged by state policies. 
Debt service on the Island's school district bonds last year totaled $468.9 million, up from $146.1 million in 1990, according to the state Department of Education. 
&nbsp; 
Footing the bill 
As with any IOU, the piper must be paid. 
"The thing you have to consider is, what is the alternative?" said Wendell Chu, superintendent of the <a href="/topics/East_Islip%2C_NY">East Islip</a> school district. "This type of debt that's being picked up is generally for capital projects that are not easy to include in regular budgets." 
The annual debt service is a small piece of a school district's overall spending, which also includes state aid. Last year, debt service ate up 4.5 percent of total expenditures in the Island's districts -- up from 3.1 percent in 2000 and 3.8 percent in 1990. 
In the 1990 fiscal year, <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> school districts had a combined $542.6 million in outstanding bonds, according to data provided by the state comptroller's office. By 2010, those bonded debt obligations had grown to $3.7 billion. Adjusted for inflation, that's a 309 percent increase. 
Consider <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> as one example. When children were dismissed from <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a>'s schools in the summer of 1990, paying off the district's long-term debt bonds would have taken about $7 from the pocket of every man, woman and child in the district. In 2010, the payoff was $1,389 per person. The district's bonded indebtedness grew in that time from $225,000 to $47.5 million. 
Increased debt by itself doesn't necessarily mean that school districts are borrowing too much -- indeed, as Long Island became wealthier, it could afford more. Overall school spending grew from $3.89 billion in 1990 to $10.37 billion last year, a 60 percent increase after adjusting for inflation. 
"Just to focus on increases in the amount of debt is just a partial view," said Kate Hackett, an analyst at Standard &amp; Poor's. "You have to look at the growth in the economy. It's a very strong economy out in Long Island." 
&nbsp; 
Outpacing inflation rate 
Still, borrowing by many districts has outpaced inflation. The state's growing obligation to fund a portion of school construction and renovation over the past decade prompted changes in law this year that will bring to the fore the trade-off between construction and other costs, such as hiring teachers. 
"New York State has done a number of things over the years to encourage school construction, and some projects were sorely needed and others may have been done because the state's reimbursement was so generous that it was hard to say no," said Morris Peters, spokesman for the state Division of Budget. "The problem with that is it drives up state expenses for school construction." 
In the 1990-91 school year, New York paid school districts throughout the state $380 million for building aid. Twenty years later, that figure had risen to $2.49 billion, an increase of 295 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. The amount of aid available for eligible projects is largely determined by a district's wealth, with the state paying a greater portion of poorer districts' costs. 
&nbsp; 
The borrowing boom 
Borrowing really took off in the new millennium, fueled by a confluence of factors that created fertile ground for debt. Part of it was simply cyclical need. Many Long Island schools were built in the 1950s and required renovation, or more classrooms were needed in growing districts. Enrollment increased during the 1990s and through 2005, driven by a number of factors, including offering full-day kindergarten in more districts and expanded curriculums. Falling interest rates in the 1990s and 2000s made borrowing cheaper, and rising wealth and property values made more money available. 
Observers point to state policy changes that encouraged borrowing: a temporary state increase in building aid, imposition of a payment schedule that spread reimbursement over fixed time periods, and a grant program that prompted sale of more bonds. 
Starting in 1998, the state temporarily increased building aid available to all school districts, prompting many to go out with bond referendums. 
Chu said that state incentives spurred districts to make needed investments in their facilities. 
"That incentive caused a lot of school districts to do those projects -- projects that they may have decided to put off for a later point in time or might have even enhanced projects to allow them to do better things," he said. 
Then, in 2002 the state changed the way it reimbursed school districts so that it paid them over 15, 20 or 30 years, depending upon the type of project, which discouraged pay-as-you-go spending. 
"Governor Pataki, when times were tougher, turned around immediately and stretched out the repayments over the life of the project," said John Bierwirth, superintendent of the <a href="/topics/Herricks%2C_NY">Herricks</a> school district. "In a relatively short period of time, the state was one moment encouraging construction and in the next moment encouraging people to go into debt." 
Finally, a program called EXCEL encouraged districts sell more bonds, though that cost generally fell more on state taxpayers than individual districts. The borrowing bonanza prompted state lawmakers to change the system this year. The 2011-12 budget capped growth in school aid, including building aid. That means as more funds are approved for districts' capital projects, less money will be available for other things. 
"This dynamic has existed for a long time -- of expense-based aid growing as a percentage of the total," Peters said. "Going forward, as we're constraining school-aid growth, that problem is going to essentially be compounded, and this will focus a little more attention on the issue."

LIBOND13

School debt soars on Long Island

lirally

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bayport%2C_NY">BAYPORT</a>-<a href="/topics/Blue_Point%2C_NY">BLUE POINT</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,511-887 
Budget $63,663,681, a 2.7% increase 
Tax levy $43,645,523, a 3.99% increase 
Average home Increases 3.99% to $7,057; assessed value of avera9ge district home is $37,350 in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bayport%2C_NY">Bayport</a> and $2,604 in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Blue_Point%2C_NY">Blue Point</a>. 
School board Diane D'Angelo (1,296) beat Rita Palma (1,051) for a three-year term.

News

VGBLUE15

Bayport-Blue Point School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Bay_Shore%2C_NY">BAY SHORE</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,940-1,097 
Budget $142,419,999, up 2% 
Tax levy $92,381,302, up 3.8% i Average home Assessed at $40,000 increases 3.9% to $6,892 
School board Incumbent Guy Leggio (2,000) and challenger Louis Bettinelli (1,621) defeated incumbent Jerry Berka (1479) for three-year terms.

VGBAYS15

Bay Shore School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Brentwood%2C_NY">BRENTWOOD</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,051-946 
Budget $311,477,042, a 2.43% increase 
Tax levy $88,777,238, a 4.92% increase 
Average home Assessed at $35,000 increases 4.92% to $4,090 
School board Challengers Michael Jahkhah (1,507) and Helen Moss (1,514) defeated incumbents Mike Sgroi (829) and Roland Jiménez (903), respectively, for three-year terms.

VGBREN15

Brentwood Union Free School District

hlSCHOOL_4.JPG

CENTRAL <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Islip%2C_NY">ISLIP</a> 
Vote Approved, 977-968 
Budget $167,085,064, a 2.5% decrease 
Tax levy $85,146,214, a 6.47% increase 
Average home Assessed at $40,000 increases 6.55% to $8,268 
School board Challengers Olga Barahona (925), Edna Carbajal (792) and Monique McCray (826) defeated incumbents William Softy (723) and Rafael Orozco (706) and challengers Octavio Lomax (332), Dale Shaw (738), Ruben Vallejo(222) and Javier Saenz De Viteri (656). Terms are three years.

VGCIS15

Central Islip School District

CONNETQUOT 
Vote Approved, 2,330-1,353 
Budget $164,910,433, a 1.9% increase 
Tax levy $110,236,895, up 3.95% 
Average home Will pay $7,904.70, a 3.95% increase 
School board Incumbent Michael D. Kealey (1,783) defeated challenger Leo R. Marinick (1,497), and incumbent Lee Kennedy (1,746) defeated challenger Deana M. Barbaro (1,601) for three-year terms.

VGQUOT15

Connetquot Central School District

EAST <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Islip%2C_NY">ISLIP</a> 
Vote Approved, 2,924-1,952 
Budget $103,929,639, a 3.1% increase 
Tax levy $64,681,011, a 6.98% increase 
Average home Assessed at $40,000 increases 6.98% to $7,000 
School board Incumbent Kim G. Phillips (2,175) defeated challenger Steven Behan (1,939), and incumbent Glenn Reed (1,756) defeated challengers Frank Gerace (1,416) and Joseph J. Montouri Jr. (1,195) for three-year terms.

VGEIS15

East Islip School District

<a href="/topics/Fire_Island%2C_NY">FIRE ISLAND</a> 
Vote Approved, 95-6 
Budget $5,988,833, up .72% 
Tax levy $4,814,800, a 1.97% increase 
Average home In <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> will pay a rate of $22.11 per $100 of assessed valuation; in the Town of <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a>, an average home will pay a rate of $1.63 per $100 
School board Incumbents Vernon Henriksen and Judi Phelan ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGFIRE15

Fire Island School District

SACHEM 
Vote Approved, 4,960-3,034 
Budget $287,834,125, a 2.03% increase 
Tax levy $151,445,397, a 3.15% increase 
Average home Assessed at $3,500 in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> will be $6,178, up from $5,913; assessed at $40,000 in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a> will be $5,208, up from $4,984; assessed at $6,000 in <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Smithtown%2C_NY">Smithtown</a> will be $6,913, up from $6,616. 
School board Incumbent Christine Lampitelli (3,101) defeated <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Daniel_Smith">Daniel Smith</a> (2,734); Dorothy Roberts (3,514) defeated incumbent Michael Licata (2,414); Michael J. Isernia and Teri Ahearn ran unopposed. Terms are three years except for Insernia, whose term is for one year to fill vacancy caused by a board member's resignation.

VGSACH15

Sachem School District

 Sachem High School North cropped 3.22.12

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Sayville%2C_NY">SAYVILLE</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,937-1,279 
Budget $81,779,400, a 3.87% increase 
Tax levy $54,435,720, a 7.39% increase 
Average home Assessed at $40,000 increases 7.39% to $6,976 
School board Incumbents Thomas Cooley and Deborah Van Essendelft ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGSAYV15

Sayville School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/West_Islip%2C_NY">WEST ISLIP</a> 
Vote Approved, 2,175-1,617 
Budget $107,143,770, a 2.92% increase 
Tax levy $72,967,422, a 7.73% increase 
Average home Assessed at $45,000 increases 7.73% to $7,548.35 
School board Incumbent Robert W. Ulrich ran unopposed, and Ronald Maginniss (1,620) defeated Kevin O'Connor (1,301) for three-year terms.

VGWIS15

West Islip School District

Islip school districts

Newsday

Most Popular

Newsday TV shorts

Vertical videos

The soft-serve ice cream dipped in melted butter and sprinkled with salt has gone viral.

Ice cream dipped in melted butter? Stew Leonard's has it

Five years after a Newsday investigation into police hiring, neither county has diversified ranks to reflect the communities they serve. Newsday's Virginia Huie and Jim Baumbach reports.

Despite 30% increase in Hispanic officers, LI police forces still overwhelmingly white

NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano gets a sneak peek of "The Diplomat" Tour, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at all the places at Planting Fields Arboretum where the Netflix thriller's season 3 finale was shot.

'The Diplomat' films on LI

NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger takes a look at some of the reasons behind the decline in family-owned hardware stores on Long Island.

Declining number of family owned hardware stores

Newsday's food team tasted and ranked sheet cakes from eight supermarkets on Long Island.

The great grocery store sheet cake taste test 

NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa learns what it takes to troubleshoot a pinball machine in this week's edition of LI Works.

LI Works: A wizard at fixing pinball machines

Newsday's third annual Cheer Fest was held at Hofstra University on Sunday. Participants spoke about the thrill of competing and watching teams from other divisions. Newsday's Jared Valluzzi has more.

Energy, pride and school spirit: Newsday's 3rd annual Cheer Fest

Doug DeFeo, a volunteer with the New York Marine Rescue Center in Riverhead, says it's important to him to give back to the environment as well as the individual lives of people.

Volunteers of Long Island: New York Marine Rescue Center

NewsdayTV's Doug Geed takes us to the South Fork, where, after generations of farming the land, the Ludlow family pivoted to making cheese from the milk of their cows.

Out East: Mecox Bay Dairy in Bridgehampton

New York became the first state to require health insurers to cover scalp cooling treatments, which help to reduce hair loss during chemotherapy. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

Health insurers must cover scalp cooling treatments

Latest Videos

Latest videos

Andrew Dykes' defense team added another attorney as the 66-year-old suspect is accused of killing Gilgo Beach victim Tanya Denise Jackson, also known as "Peaches." NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Mr. Dykes did not cause the death of Miss Jackson'

Lines out the door at open houses, offers above asking price: NewsdayTV's Macy Egeland and Newsday real estate reporter Rachel Weiss talk to local professionals about how to navigate this hot market.

It's Your Business: Tips on navigating another hot year for real estate

New court papers reveal details of Rex Heuermann's first 24 hours in custody. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'They include a prisoner log which noted he appeared calm'

Two months after Manuel Hernández Zelada disappeared after being arrested by ICE, his family has found him, in a federal facility in New Mexico.

Family reconnects with ICE detainee after judge intervenes

Republican Bruce Blakeman took the oath of office to begin his second term as county executive on Monday night. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Blakeman formally begins second term

Sign up for the NewsdayTV newsletter

Long Island Newsletter Widget

"The album is amazing. I listened to it the moment it came out, and I love every song," one fan said of the Jericho singer's album, "locket."

'It was crazy to see her in real life': Hundreds descend on Looney Tunes for Madison Beer signing

Long Island Article Bottom Module

"We have Broadway-quality sounds now," the Oakdale theater's president and CEO said.

CM Performing Arts Center debuts $100G in 'Broadway-quality' upgrades

Felipe Thomas y de la Gándara, 5th Marqués de Ivanrey, says Marco Antonio Soriano, of Massapequa, is trading on a shared surname.

Lawsuit: LI businessman falsely presenting himself as Spanish nobility to sell electric motorcycles

In November, the Suffolk County 250th Commemorative Planning Committee released a guidebook of historic sites and exhibitions for the year to come.

USA 250 on LI: What's planned, and what do stakeholders want to see?

Specific dates were not disclosed for the deer cull, which remains opposed by some.

Annual deer cull set for Fire Island, William Floyd Estate

The civil rights leader visited the temple in 1967, the year before he was assassinated at age 39.

Communities join to invoke the spirit of Martin Luther King Jr. at MLK Service at Great Neck's Temple Beth-El

The ongoing generational shift means there's a much smaller pool of people for the National Guard to honor.

Military funerals on LI decline as World War II, Korean War generations dwindle

Long Island Video Playlist

The deposed Venezuelan leader made his first court appearance on Monday in Manhattan as large crowds gathered outside the courthouse. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

Maduro makes first court appearance

Hundreds attended the funeral for Edeedson Cine Jr., 23, in Dix Hills on Friday.

Final farewell for CVS worker

Port Washington's Rapid Response Network aims to prevent or stop federal officials from making arrests by warning immigrants of ICE sightings. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie has more.

'This is not the way we operate in this country'

A South Setauket father, Vincent DiStasi, was sentenced to 17 years in prison on Thursday for beating his infant son to the point where he needed brain surgery. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

The infant was 5 weeks old

Each semifinalist will receive $2,000 and their school will receive a matching amount. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'I'm ecstatic'

Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is preparing a legal fight. NewsdayTV's Andrew Ehinger reports.

'Child care is needed more than ever'

John Pilaccio pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges in the fatal stabbing of CVS employee Edeedson Cine Jr. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

'A violent criminal record'

The congressman said conditions appeared to be improving in the holding rooms that ICE uses for detainees. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Suozzi inspects ICE holding cells

A Three Kings Day event took place at the Knights of Columbus in Brentwood on Sunday. The celebration provided a warm, welcoming environment in a time of uncertainty, according to some attendees. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie reports.

'Show a little love and compassion'

Take a look back at the exclusive stories Newday journalists brought you in 2025, from investigations to interviews with celebrities.

Look back at NewsdayTV's top exclusives and highlights of 2025

Authorities are looking for a thief who stole a statue of baby Jesus from a Nativity scene displayed outside the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge last week. NewsdayTV's Ken Buffa reports.

Baby Jesus stolen from Nativity scene

Composer Stephen Schwartz, who grew up in Roslyn Heights, says he will not perform at the Kennedy Center after President Donald Trump's name was added to the building.

LI native joins other artists bowing out of Kennedy Center

Homepage Trending

What to expect on LI in 2026

Newsday Investigations

Long Island Teacher Spotlights

HOF fan ballot results

<a href="https://www.newsday.com/video/newsdaytv-top-stories">Get more on these and other NewsdayTV stories</a>

Newsday TV

NewsdayTV Top Item

Newsday reporters spent this year examining the risks on Long Island's roads, where traffic crashes over a decade killed more than 2,100 people and seriously injured more than 16,000. This documentary is a result of that newsroom-wide effort.

'Success is zero deaths on the roadway'

App Nativo Ad Unit Slot

Long Island - megaslot

Find out what's happening with Nassau & Suffolk news, Long Island schools, plus the latest crime, courts, politics. Coverage includes Fire Island, the Hamptons & North Fork.

Most Popular

Latest Videos

Stay logged in.