Dan's Papers - April 25, 2008 - As Tuition Increases For Springs, So Shall Taxes

At an open meeting held on April 21 at Springs School, the Springs School Board presented six options to the community for their 2008-2009 budget considerations. The handshake agreement proposing a solution to the East Hampton school district's tuition problem with Springs for next year was rescinded by East Hampton, leaving the Spring's School Board to make adjustments and consider options.

The proposals will increase the school taxes on a home in Springs (assessed at about $600,000) by anywhere from $226 to $382 per taxpayer. The Springs School Board will make a decision by April 25, with the hope of keeping the estimated tax increase under 10%.

The meeting was spirited, with Springs residents' reactions ranging from understanding to irate. Once again, East Hampton will charge Springs over $21,500 for each of its 289 students. This increase would raise Springs' total tuition bill to $6.74 million. The previous handshake agreement was based on a sliding scale of cost for 100 students - the rate for the first 100 students would be the full $21,526 each; the next 100 would be discounted 10%; and the next 100 would be discounted 20%. The purpose of that agreement was to offset a 28% increase above the current tuition fee of $16,800 per student that East Hampton was going to charge Springs. Also included in the handshake was the possibility of creating one school district for the Town or at least discussing the idea. According to the Springs Board, that discussion is ongoing.

But because of a change in the way the State will address BOCES funding, Springs will receive more aid at the cost of East Hampton's BOCES state aid. Some put the figure at around $900,000, a substantial loss to East Hampton that may have been the motivation for the Town to move away from the handshake deal, according to the Spring's Board. In a telephone conversation, Becky McGrory of State Assemblyman Fred Thiele's office, said that Thiele's recommendation was for officials to work out a plan. Then he, as the ranking Republican member of the State Assembly Education Committee, would do what he could to help. The 2008 Approved New York State Budget Aid to Education already includes a 20.34% increase to Springs, with the amount set at $1,390,410. That's an increase of $234,000 according to McGrory. The 2007 State Aid slated $100,000 to the district for property tax relief was increased to $300,000 in the 2008 budget.

East Hampton School District received $2,517,544 in New York State Budget Aid to Education - that's about $84,000 less than the previous year, a decrease of 3.25%. In the other Town of East Hampton school districts for 2008, Montauk will receive $802,590, an increase of 11.56%; and Amagansett will get $349,871, a decrease of 8.83%. In a prepared statement, Thiele said, "Former Governor Spitzer was determined to severely shortchange Long Island...Governor Patterson is to be commended for working with the Long Island delegation." His office puts Long Island's share of the education aid at about 13%. But it was allotted more this year - with Suffolk County getting an increase of $140.2 million. The largest amount of aid to a Suffolk County school district was South Country, which received a whopping $54.9 million, the largest increase of 35.24%.

Meanwhile Springs and East Hampton school districts locked into their positions, forcing Springs School Board Superintendent Thomas Quinn to present his proposed budgets that ranged from $21,139,916 to $21,705,354. The budgets include proposals to decrease the number of children in each class in the lower grades by having off site classrooms for pre-K, as well as the high school tuition increases.

Quinn is doing all he can to avoid double digit increases to the Springs' taxpayers. April 25 is the date Springs is required by state law to have its budget in place. The date for the vote on a proposed 2008-2009 school budget for Springs taxpayers is May 20.

With the School Board presidents doing what they can to hold down the cost to the taxpayers, they heard the voices of the people who clamored about keeping the tax increase as low as possible. Some Springs residents intimated they'd vote for the "austerity budget." But even the austerity budget would raise the individual taxes by $180. Tough choices needed to be made now that there's no hope for East Hampton's Board to reconsider a softer position on the tuition. Some believe that it's in the best longrange interest of the Board to do the right thing, not the least expensive thing. Once the deal is struck, Thiele's help may be needed to give more State money to Springs School District for property tax relief.