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Friday, March 22, 2024
Vol. 12, No. 12
GUIDE TO SPRING
PLANDOME RD. SEWER PROJECT LAFAZAN DROPS OUT OF DEM PRIMARY SENATE RACE NEARS END OF PHASE I
PAGES 21-28
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School districts grapple with state aid plans
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L I V I N G WA X M US E U M
Administrators blindsided by drops in foundation aid for first time in history BY C A M E RY N O A K ES North Shore school districts are seeing drops in foundation aid for the first time since the state funding was introduced in 2007-2008, with many calling the governor’s proposal showing sweeping increases in state aid misleading as districts face budget challenges. The New York State Assembly has now proposed a budget countering the governor’s that reinstates the lost foundation aid sought by local school districts. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2025 budget proposal includes $35.3 billion in state school aid. This is an increase of $825 million from the prior budget, or a rise of 2.4%. The $825 million proposed increase from budget to budget encompasses a $507 million increase for Foundation Aid – the state’s main education operating aid formula that is based on equity. The remaining $318 million increase is attributed to all other school aid programs. The 2025 budget proposal comes in the wake of the 2024 budget’s $3.1 billion increase in school aid – a historic rise in the state that amounted to a 10% increase from the prior budget. New York State spends the most per pupil in the country. State aid spending
per pupil has also continuously risen over the years, only seeing a dip in 2021, according to the Empire Center, with spending projected to continue increasing over the next four years. Empire Center calculated that 185 New York districts, about a quarter, were in the top 5% for spending per pupil nationally. A majority of districts were in the top 10%. Under Hochul’s proposal, a majority of North Shore schools are proposed to receive an increase in state aid. But school districts have called the governor’s proposed school aid increase misleading, with districts seeing drops in their foundation aid for the first time and funds allocated to them that they are unable to use. Foundation aid began as the state’s equity-based funding source for school districts, intended to alleviate disparities between districts. The New York State aid formula for schools is based on factors that evaluate enrollment, student need and district wealth. Foundation aid was implemented in the 2007-2008 school year, with different state aid offerings provided before. But hold harmless initiatives have been in place for state aid funding since 1976, Manhasset Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations Sam Gergis said. Continued on Page 38
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE MANHASSET PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Shelter Rock Elementary third graders dressed up as historical figures for the annual biography wax museum event.
Dalimonte, DeSena spar over town dysfunction BY C A M E RY N O A K ES The dysfunction of the Town of North Hempstead Board is apparent at nearly every meeting where Democrat vs. Republican councilmembers lock horns over various issues. In a recent letter to Blank Slate Media, Councilmember Mariann Dalimonte contended that dysfunction exists beyond the monthly meetings as she cited a lack of communication from Supervisor Jennifer DeSena. In response, the supervi-
sor defended the public quarrels and called for Dalimonte to stop holding up town procedures with her personal interests. “She can’t have it both ways and this petty political game she is playing needs to stop, for all our constituents’ sake,” Dalimonte wrote in her letter. “I will always remain willing to work with Supervisor DeSena on anything which improves the quality of life for the residents of District 6 and the Town of North Hempstead.” DeSena, a registered Democrat
elected as the town’s first Republican supervisor in decades, took office in 2022 and stepped onto a Democratic-majority board. This dynamic for her first two years in office fostered many examples of divisiveness between the board’s Republicans and Democrats, who held a 4-3 majority. But after November’s election, the Town Board flipped to a Republican majority that took over in January. The divisiveness and public displays of dysfunction have continContinued on Page 39