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Schools

Board of Education Talks Spending and Tax Cap

Special education costs were among the topics discussed at Tuesday's board of education meeting.

The school district's plan for a different special education program caused confusion at Tuesday's meeting as parents and residents questioned the board and administrators as to why they are initiating a new program when reductions need to be made.

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo pushing the 2 percent tax cap and proposing to nix a total of $1.5 billion in aid to K-12 education statewide, parents queried why the district spent so much on special education by instituting new programs and sending students to other districts.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Glen Eschbach said the district is currently paying tuition for 33 students at other districts. “These children have disabilities like severe cerebral palsy and psychiatric impairments,” he said.

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He said Bayport-Blue Point is too small of a school district to make the necessary changes and pay for equipment needed for certain special needs students. Although the average tuition cost of sending children to other districts is approximately $45,000- $50,000, those costs cannot be cut.

Instead, Eschbach said the school district has saved money by building special education programs in the district, such as the autism program in  School. The district does not need to send those children out anymore and they can be educated in the same school as their peers. Last month, the district said it made $750,000 in reductions from tuition, attrition and occupational education.

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However, when New York State released its budget on Feb. 1, Bayport-Blue Point found that $1.4 million in aid could be cut. “I guess Gov. Cuomo wants to punish Long Island for being richer than the rest of the state,” said James March, Board of Education president.

With this bad news, concerns shifted to the proposed property tax cap and the effect it will have on future of the school district.

The 2 percent tax cap has not been approved and should it become law will not take affect until the next budgetary year. March said the district will have to “push for alternative tax revenues.”

The board was worried parents and homeowners would blame the district for the effects of budget cuts. March told parents that the “state sets mandates for school districts to follow and then hides behind them, so people blame us.”

Katherine Heinlein, BOE trustee, said that the board is working diligently with other districts and elected officials promoting Bayport-Blue Point students and community. She assured parents that the board is trying everything they can to try to soften the brunt of the blow next year and save the district.

Superintendent of Schools Anthony Annunziato said the bottom line is if it becomes law.

“Unless we see an increase in state aid, we can’t survive the cap,” he said. “You can’t take away state aid and expect a district to survive this cap."

The district administration will release its 2011-12 budget on Feb. 8 at the next Board of Education meeting in the high school cafeteria at 8 p.m.

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