On May 17, Great Neck residents will have the chance to vote on the library and school budgets for the upcoming financial year, and two members of the board of education. The election is scheduled from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at Great Neck North High School and Great Neck South High School.
“I encourage people to participate and to make this a good lesson in civics,” said Great Neck Superintendent of Schools Tom Dolan.
The Great Neck Library’s proposed $8.41 million budget calls for a 2.4 percent increase that will cost the owner of a home valued at $1 million about $10 dollars.
It would increase spending by $44,000 or .5 percent over the 2011 budget of $8.37 million
The Great Neck school district’s proposed $193 million budget represents a 1.99 percent increase in spending and tax levy.
Despite decreased revenue and increased costs, the school budget maintains all teaching positions and an array of programs that Dolan called “impressive.”
Financial pressures included a six-figure loss in state aid, a 15 percent increase for health care and 30 percent increase for pensions.
Per pupil spending for Great Neck’s more than 6,300 general education students is $15,575, versus $12,060 for similar districts, and $10,874 statewide, according to documents from the district.
Per pupil spending for approximately 800 special education students is $44,291, versus $32,897 in similar districts, and $26,551 statewide.
Major reductions in the proposed budget include the elimination of contingency funds, and the retirement of three long-time administrators and 17 teachers, who will be replaced by those who command lower salaries. School district administrators have initiated a voluntary wage freeze for the second year in a row.
Last year, major reductions in the budget totaled more than $5 million. These included eliminating a central administrative position and that of environmental-safety consultant, reduction of 10.40 elementary and 11.46 secondary teachers due to attrition, reduction of hourly teachers, teaching assistants, paraprofessional monitors, clerical staff members, coaches, and cleaners, reduction of elementary before school and academic enrichment programs, reduction of elementary and secondary intramurals, and reduction of technology projects. Also, user fees for K-12 summer programs and the adult program were increased.
School officials said that with state officials advocating a tax cap of 2 percent for the 2012-13 school year they decided to prepare a budget for 2011-12 based on those limitations.
Dolan has repeatedly said that unless the tax cap was paired with relief from state mandates the district would be hard pressed to avoid cuts from school programs.
A failing vote would give the school board a choice between holding a second vote or adopting a contingency budget based on a formula from the state Education Department.
Great Neck Board of Education Trustees Lawrence Gross and Susan Healy will be unopposed when voters cast their ballots.
Gross is a 30-year veteran of the Board of Education and the district’s longest seated board member.
Susan Healy was appointed a little over five years ago to fill the seat left vacant by Nassau County Legislator Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck).
