Stimulus money may aid O'siders

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OSD will lower projected tax levy from 3.9 percent to 2.5 percent

      Residents may get some relief from federal stimulus money that will trickle down to the Oceanside School District, according to district officials, and make it possible to reduce the projected 2009-10 tax levy from 3.9 percent to approximately 2.5 percent.
      At its March 16 meeting, the Oceanside Board of Education announced the lower tax levy, made possible by $1.7 million in state funding that the district received this year, but which school officials thought would not be available in 2009-10. The district received $20.9 million in federal aid along with the state funding this year, but administrators believed that the latter might be cut next year because of the state budget deficit.
      "We can lower the tax levy to a 2.49 percent increase because we've been told we're going to get [$1.7 million] back," said Oceanside Superintendent Dr. Herb Brown. The problem, Brown said, is that the state could still cut part of that total when it passes its budget next month. Any reduction in aid could push the levy back up again before next year's school budget is put before voters in May.
      "We just haven't been told if it's exactly that amount, or close to that amount," Brown said. "So we're being conservative, but we think that's a pretty realistic number."
      Brown said he is counting on the state to pass along money from the federal stimulus package's $48.6 billion state Fiscal Stabilization Fund. "It plugs any shortfall gaps that we had," said school board President Bob Transom. "But the money from the stimulus package is going to funnel through Albany down to us, so we don't know exactly when we're going to get it."
      Because of the uncertainty surrounding state aid, Transom said, the district has not yet officially factored it into its budget.
      While it may take a while for the state to divvy up the money it gets for its school districts, Oceanside should see an direct federal infusion of about $700,000 next year in special education and No Child Left Behind Act mandates.
      A portion of this federal money will help fund the the district's special education program and make it possible for the district to save $375,000 on special education costs, which it plans to repurpose for a repaving program.
      The remianing $325,000, will fund the creation of a new special education program, which the district is now in the process of developing.
      "We haven't quite dotted all the i's and crossed all the t's yet," said Brown, "but we're talking about helping at-risk kids who aren't making it in the current programs."
      The district will redirect the $375,000 trimmed from special education into a multiyear asphalt-replacement plan, adding $20,000 originally earmarked for the district's building and grounds renovation fund. District officials said they will use the total, $395,000, to begin work at School 3 and eventually repave all of the damaged asphalt in school play areas. Any leftover money could be used to repave parking areas. Brown said that in 2010-11, the district would dedicate another $375,000 -from next year's savings on special education - to the project, as well as additional funds from the building and grounds renovation fund.
      "Every year, when we put our budget together, we've been putting about $20,000 in our renovations code as a place-holder until the Buildings and Grounds Committee makes their report," Brown said. "Since their report didn't really generate any new spending [this year], we wanted to take out that $20,000 regardless."
      In the case of School 3, which doesn't have a field, the blacktop is the only play area for the elementary school's students. At an earlier budget meeting, a parent had suggested replacing the blacktop, but the district tabled the idea because it didn't have the money for the project.
      "This is a life/safety issue," Transom said, "so this is something we take very seriously."

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