The Great Neck school board voted Monday to provide a tax exemption for all veterans living in the school district.
School District Superintendent Tom Dolan said the decision came after the board evaluated the legislation and reviewed the potential impact on taxpayers.
Dolan said school trustees gave their approval despite misgivings in how the state Legislature handled the legislation.
“The legislation was flawed and inappropriately shifted responsibility from the state to local school districts,” he said. “The state could have done this on its own but instead they chose again to avoid responsibility for their actions.”
When the board enacted the $213 million 2014-15 budget in March, it did not include the exemption, as board members thought it would be an increased burden on taxpayers.
Many other school districts in the area had previously approved their own veterans tax exemptions.
Dolan said the board will not know the full impact of the exemption on the school district until they determine how many veterans will register through the county for the exemption.
The legislation allows for a percentage exemption that takes into account the time of service and any other hardships a veteran faced while serving, Dolan said. The board also approved a gold star exemption for any parent who had a child who died while serving in the military.
Legislation passed by the state Legislature allows school district to offer veterans tax exemptions and recommends a 15 percent exemption for all military veterans with an additional 10 percent to those who served in combat.
Several veterans have expressed anger that the school district did not approve the exemption at the outset.
Leonard Gappelberg, a retired Queens College professor and Korean War veteran, said the argument that the exemption would cost significantly more for tax payers is ridiculous.
“Every other community had accepted the exemption except Great Neck,” Gappelberg said. “That’s an indication a mean-spirited attitude toward veterans on behalf of Great Neck School Board.”
Gappelberg, 85, said the issue of the veterans tax exemption is one of principle.
“If it wasn’t for us there would have been a Nazi swastika flying over school board building, not the American flag,” Gappelberg said. “You have to put things in perspective, and my perspective is that they finally saw the light. They didn’t want to stand there with their political self interest so apparent that they voted in favor of the exemption.”
Applications for the exemption for 2015-2016 must be submitted to the Nassau County Department of Assessment, located at 240 Old Country Road, in Mineola before Jan. 2, 2015. Applications are available at the Great Neck Senior Citizens Center, located at 80 Grace Ave., Gappelberg said.
