The initial projected state aid picture for the Sayville and Bayport-Blue Point school districts is likely not sitting well with school leaders and board of education members all of whom are gearing up to get proposed spending plans in place in the next two months.
That’s because both districts are looking at very small increase percentages.
Not counting building or reorganization aid, the B-BP district is projected to receive a 1.67 percent aid increase, amounting to $201,255 over last year.
Sayville’s aid is even less, a .75 percent increase, representing $145,987 more compared to last year.
The good news is that the preliminary aid figures are just that, preliminary.
Last year’s initial projections were eventually boosted once state lawmakers approved the state budget in April.
For example, last January Sayville was initially projected to get $22,669,805 in aid (a 3.81 percent increase), but saw $440,648 more aid arrive in April. The final aid represented a 5.83 percent increase over the year prior.
Bayport received an additional $340,231 in aid last April, boosting the initial January projected aid package of $15,453,223 (a 1.03 percent increase) to $15,793,454, which represented a 3.25 percent increase.
