The state aid picture for your local school district
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed state budget for next year provides for a boost in state aid for North Fork schools, though the Southold School District will take a small hit.
The governor did, however, warn that districts will be in danger of losing aid if they don’t adopt a new system of evaluating teachers, as required by the federal government’s Race to the Top initiative, under which the state received $700 million for education efforts.
Governor Cuomo unveiled the budget Tuesday, although, as customary, the Legislature will make changes before a final spending plan is approved. Last February, the governor proposed steep cuts in aid to school districts, as the state tried to close a large deficit in its own budget.
Here’s the state aid picture for local districts:
• The Southold School District is the only North Fork district that’s slated to lose aid in the governor’s proposed budget. It’s slated to get $28,777, or 1.92 percent, less in aid, at just under $1.5 million. But Southold Superintendent David Gamberg said the loss in aid is the result of a lessened demand for services.
• Mattituck-Cutchogue is slated to receive a 2.3 percent increase ($50,633 more) under the governor’s budget.
• Greenport is slated to receive 3.48 percent ($104,293) more.
• Oysterponds would receive 3.9 percent ($11,919) more.
• No numbers were made public for the New Suffolk district.
Read more about state aid to local districts, including reaction from administrators, in Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times.