The Mineola Board of Education unanimously approved a 2014-15 district budget at last Thursday night’s board meeting of $87.78 million, a 1.92 percent increase over the current $86.14 million budget.
Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler said the school district’s 2014-15 tax levy would rise 1.46 percent – the maximum permitted under the state-mandated tax cap – from $77.9 million in 2013-14 to $79 million.
In a presentation before the vote, Nagler said the 2015-15 budget marked the seventh consecutive year that the increase in the Mineola levy was 2.5 percent or lower.
During that time, he said, the district had recorded the sixth lowest aggregate levy increase among Nassau County school districts.
“We’re definitely the flattest line in the county. Some districts have spiked. We’ve remained pretty constant,” Nagler said. “Part of the ability to do that was the board’s foresight in reconfiguring the district going forward.”
The district’s reconfiguration included closing and leasing of the Cross Street School to the Schechter School of Long Island and leasing the first floor of the Willis Avenue School to Harbor Day Care. Nagler said the district is receiving $500,000 a year from the two leases.
The school district will also receive $5.85 million in state aid for the 2014-15 budget, a $438,000 increase over what it received last year.
Mineola school board President Artie Barnett commended Nagler and Jack Waters, Mineola assistant superintendent for finance and operations, for keeping the school district “well above water” for the past several years.
“We’re a yacht. You make it sound like we’re a dinghy,” Nagler quipped.
Nagler said the budget will enable the school district to expand its existing pre-K program to a five-day half-day program for all students. A “lottery” will be conducted to place 55 students in a full-day pre-K program to be run by Harbor Day Care, he said.
He said the district also plans to expand a dual-language program for Spanish and English into the Jackson Avenue School. The district has reported success with the current dual-language program in the Hampton Street School. The district will also create a Spanish immersion program into the Meadow Drive School.
Nagler said the district would continue to expand the use of new technology in classrooms, with plans to purchase five iPads for students to share in each grade K through 2 class next fall. He said the school district will also purchase 200 iPads to extend the use of that technology into third grade classes.
The iPads will be purchased with $213,000 from a state management efficiency grant the district was awarded last year, Waters said.
Nagler said the hands on science Kid Knowledge program in pre-K through grade 2 and science labs would be continued for students in grade third through seven.
He said $700,000 in facilities upgrades would include new seats and flooring in the Mineola Middle School auditorium, a new public address system for the Hampton Street School and expanded districtwide monitoring to include water, temperature and boiler alerts.
Nagler said the budget also includes $217,000 for Includes new gym padding at Meadow Drive, new furniture for pre-K rooms, new equipment for the high school science research laboratory, tire replacement equipment for bus garage, new facility truck, replacement desks and chairs districtwide, musical instrument replacement, and computer hardware.
He said the district is continuing its bus replacement program with the purchase of two large buses. He said the district also plans to purchase a new plow and sander.
Nagler said he will make a more detailed presentation of the 2014-15 budget at the May 8 school board meeting.
In other business, the board also approved a $19.89 million budget for BOCES services for the 2014-15 school year.
