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Board hears budget outlook; superintendent urges parents and PTAs to contact legislators on foundation aid
Summary
District finance leadership told the Board it's at an early stage of budgeting and urged community advocacy on foundation aid; suggestions included adjusting regional cost indices, using accurate poverty measures and boosting special-education aid. A resident urged constituents to keep politics in mind when writing letters to elected officials.
District officials told the Lynnbrook Union Free School District Board of Education on Jan. 8 that the district is in a preliminary stage of the budget process and urged the community to contact legislators about foundation aid and related funding formulas.
A district official described the timeline: the governor's executive budget proposal typically arrives around Jan. 20, after which preliminary state-aid runs are produced. The district will use those aid runs to refine revenue projections and shape the budget. The official said the board is in a "waiting period" regarding revenue estimates until state figures are released.
Officials and board members suggested advocacy and tactics parents and community groups could use to press for changes to state funding formulas. Recommended actions included writing letters, delivering talking points, visiting local legislative offices (rather than traveling to Albany), coordinating joint PTA outreach with nearby districts and distributing sample form letters through PTA communications to increase constituent response.
Board members and staff offered district-level policy changes they said would help Lynnbrook if adopted by the state: adopting a regional cost index reflecting local costs (Nassau County), updating poverty measurements to better capture students in need, tiered aid increases for English-language-learner teachers, and a mechanism that awards more special-education aid for students served in district rather than placed out of district or at BOCES.
During public comment, a resident, Steve Moynihan, urged the community to be mindful that state funding choices are political and said that public appeals should reflect that reality when asking legislators for foundation aid adjustments.
No board action or vote on specific budget proposals occurred at the Jan. 8 meeting; the board scheduled its budget work session for March 4, when staff will present refined revenue estimates based on state aid runs.
