Babylon to Receive More State Aid Than Expected

Last week New York State legislators passed a budget that will result in significantly more aid for local schools. Babylon will receive $159,285 more in extra funds for the 2012-2013 school year than projected in January.

Babylon's original estimate of $7,036,573 was increased to $7,195,858. The additional aid includes over $100,000 for BOCES and special services and $40,000 in transportation costs. The approved aid numbers, released on March 30th, also show that Babylon will receive $37,368 more than in the 2011-2012 school year.

Governor Cuomo's original January budget included plans to allocate money to districts through competitive grants that will now go instead to increased need-based aid. Changes to the final budget added $200 million more, with a total annual increase in aid of $800 million allocated to schools across New York State.

There is no indication yet how the new numbers will affect this year's Babylon school budget. The proposed budget will be adopted on April 16th and the vote is scheduled for May 15th.