State Aid Proposal Features 3.2 Percent Increase for Babylon Schools

The initial school state aid proposal announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday would give Babylon schools an additional $195,472 in operating aid for the 2012/13 year.

That represents a 3.18 percent increase over the current year. Factoring in building and transportation aid, the district would receive a total of $7.04 million from the state next year.

While school officials did not respond for comment by press time, the aid outlook is clearly a better than last year when the district dealt with an 11 percent cut in aid.

Yet it may not be enough to compensate for the tax levy cap mandated this year and which school officials said earlier this month would require cutting the current school budget by at least $750,000.

The current school budget, which voters approved last May by nearly a two-to-one margin, is $46 million and represented a 1.93 tax rate increase over 2010 and a 2.66 percent budget increase.

Cuomo’s “2012-13 Executive Budget and Reform Plan” features a total increase of $805 million in school aid, of which $56.3 million will be distributed to Long Island districts. The state aid figures will not be finalized for a few months as the governor and the legislature hammer out the details of the state budget.

The total budget includes $250 million for performance grants linked to improved academic performance and management efficiency via a formal enhanced teacher evaluation process that must be created within the year. Failure to do so could mean forfeiting aid increases this year and next, according to a press release.