2 LI School Districts Among Most Fiscally Stressed In New York

In a report released Thursday, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said that two Long Island school districts are among the most fiscally stressed in the state, and five others are on the precipice.

DiNapoli's annual Fiscal Stress Monitoring System report showed that the New Suffolk and Wyandanch school districts, both located in Suffolk County, were under "significant stress." The report is meant to be an early warning system for school districts, DiNapoli's office said, which will hopefully let them correct problems in order to avoid a financial emergency later on.

Five other Long Island district were categorized as susceptible to fiscal stress: Roosevelt, Rockville Centre, North Bellmore and Long Beach in Nassau County, and Eastport-South Manor Central School District in Suffolk.

“Despite the ongoing financial pressures facing school districts, our fiscal stress monitoring system has revealed encouraging results in several communities,” DiNapoli said in a release. “However, school boards and superintendents must remain cautious. Today’s budget decisions can have long-lasting implications and can quickly move a district into fiscal stress.”

Each district's score was generated using financial indicators including year-end fund balance, cash position, short-term borrowing and patterns of operating deficits.

A report that DiNapoli's office released in conjunction with the results showed that Long Island has the highest percentage of fiscally stressed school districts. Of the 26 school districts on the list, seven are from Long Island.

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