With residents set to vote on the Great Neck school district’s budget on Tuesday, a group of Great Neck South High School students said they feel their needs have been left out of budget discussions.
South High Student Government President Tina Pavlovich said the student body’s concerns with teacher and employee cuts, as well as their desire to install air conditioning in all of the district’s classrooms, were not taken into consideration by the Board of Education and district administration.
“We’re just striving to have the board recognize that we do know what we’re doing and we’re taking the time to do the research of what we’re talking about,” Pavlovich said. “We talk to teachers and get resources to find out what we’re talking about.”
Last month, the school board approved its $218.93 budget for the 2016-17 school year, which calls for the reduction of 14 teaching positions as well as 21 other employees.
Pavlovich said students have noticed the effect layoffs have had on teachers in the classroom.
“They are human and they have emotions. Sometimes it’s hard to hide them,” she said. “You could see some are upset about this.”
As well as teacher cuts, Pavlovich said, students have been concerned with the layoffs of four female bathroom attendants.
District Assistant Superintendent for Business John Powell has said the district was seeking ways it could rehire laid off employees in different positions.
Pavlovich said even if the bathroom attendants are rehired in different positions, there is still a need for their previous positions.
“They might be hired back in different positions, which kind of defeats the purpose because they are there to help the girls in the bathrooms,” she said. “They end up being the eyes and ears for the administration because if the matron hears that something is going on she can go directly to school administration and say it should be checked out.”
Pavlovich and South High School student government Vice President Azim Keshwani have appeared at board meetings asking trustees to consider installing air conditioning in all of the district’s classrooms.
On March 19, the board presented its plan to spend $19 million in a reserve fund established last year after residents voted to approve a 10-year capital plan for infrastructure improvements to the district’s school buildings.
Superintendent of Schools Teresa Prendergast has said the district had more immediate needs to address in its capital reserve plan the installation of air conditioning.
Prendergast also said the board would consider allowing voters to decide in the fall if the district should take out a bond to address other infrastructure needs at the schools.
If air conditioners were installed in every school within the district in addition to roofing repairs, Powell said, it would cost an estimated $12.1 million.
Kerr Yoo, an 11th grade student at South High, said he felt “neglected” by the school board.
“Adults like Azim and Tina, who are actually able to vote, are looked down upon,” Yoo said. “They are completely not even considered when they make decisions.”
Ninth-grade student Elina Malamed, who serves as a student delegate to the school board, said she felt the role of student delegates was to report back to students on what happens at board meetings and not to directly speak at meeting.
“The delegates don’t really get anything accomplished and that’s what I’ve sort of realized and I think should be changed about it,” Malamed said. “What’s the point of being a student delegate if you’re just going back and reporting things and not actually making a difference?”
Keshwani said students have been able to meet with the board and school administration, but feels there is a lack of follow-up between the two sides once issues are discussed.
“We do have productive talks when we talk to them, but the problem I think is keeping the talks going,” he said.
Pavlovich said student government wants to improve relations with the school board.
“Right now, we’re trying to find out how else we can approach the board and get our ideas across and show them that we do know what we’re talking about,” she said. “And we really do want to have a good relationship with them so we can work with them.”
Efforts to reach school board members were unavailing.
