As has been reported in local media, the Office of the New York State Comptroller has issued its annual report identifying local governments and school districts that are experiencing fiscal stress. Long Beach Public Schools has been listed as a district “susceptible to fiscal stress.” It is important to note that the score for Long Beach was just above the cut off for susceptibility.

As we have noted the past several years, the Comptroller’s designation is based upon a multi-factorial formula that does not account for the unique financial circumstances that Long Beach Public School District faced due to Superstorm Sandy. As many in our community already know, the district was forced to borrow money following Superstorm Sandy to fund extensive restoration projects throughout the district (and the Comptroller’s formula identifies short-term borrowing and cash flow as financial stressors). If the district had received the two FEMA reimbursement payments prior to June 30th instead of in October and November, it would have had “no designation.”