State moves to restore aid to LI districts

ALBANY -- The Senate Education Committee has approved bills that would restore millions of dollars in capital funding for four Long Island school districts as lawmakers launched a push to include the money in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's new budget.

The local districts, along with another in Fredonia, lost nearly $60 million in state aid last year because they missed filing deadlines for paperwork. Cuomo last year vetoed bills that would have restored the money, which districts receive over multiple years.

"This is human error, it's not some egregious failure . . . ," said Sen. John Flanagan (R-East Northport), Education Committee chairman, who backed the bills approved Tuesday. "Since thegovernor had put in the veto messages that he thinks it should be addressed in the budget and does not appear to be averse to it, the easiest way is for him to put it in his proposal."

Last year, the Central Islip Union Free School District, Smithtown Central School District, Rocky Point Union Free School District and Babylon Union Free School District sought to have the aid restored through legislation.

In vetoing the bills, Cuomo wrote that "the state budget would provide a broader context and be the most appropriate venue to address these issues."

Smithtown made a series of clerical errors that cost the district a total of $10.5 million in state aid.

"Unfortunately in a business office sometimes there are human errors that occur," said district Superintendent Edward Ehmann. Local taxpayers now have to make up that loss of state aid.

"It means even more pressure on the district to create budgets in this economic climate as revenue streams across the board are drying up," Ehmann said.

State Sen. Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) said he was hopeful Cuomo would restore $42 million in building aid to Central Islip, which failed to file final cost reports on time with the state.

"The punishment doesn't fit the crime," Zeldin said. The district "would be in a difficult place to provide an education if this aid isn't provided."

Cuomo spokesman Matthew Wing declined to comment Wednesday.