Schools

School District Officials Study Tax Cap Impact

Superintendent says it's too early to tell how new law will influence future budgets.

Governor Andrew Cuomo made the property tax cap official on Thursday when he signed the bill that New York State lawmakers passed last Friday. But West Islip school officials are unsure how this will immediatly impact the district.

The bill, which will cap school and property taxes at either two percent or the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which ever is lower, was also set to lower the burden of unfunded mandates. Superintendent Rick Simon said while he doesn’t think the tax cap will affect local schools in the upcoming school year, he is still getting a grasp of all the detials of the cap.

“I also think it would be premature to speculate about any program impact,” he said. "We have a lot to learn about the specifics of the cap legislation. Over the next few weeks I will be working with my district office staff as well as networking with superintendents and our state-wide groups to explore the various options we have as well as the details of the cap."

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However, Simon did mention that he thinks the cap will have an impact on the budget process in the future. 

Steve Gellar, president of the West Islip Board of Education, agreed with Simon that the cap wouldn’t affect the district untill 2012-13 year

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“There are a few things exempt from the Cap calculation and we still have some work to do in deciphering how those things will impact us,” he said. It will also take time to see how the long-range measures the school district has begun (i.e., the space utilization study group and separation programs) play out.

"As a result, it is too soon to project the impact on programs," he added.


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