The Manhasset Board of Education unveiled a $92 million preliminary budget for the 2016-17 school year on Saturday that represents a 1.8 percent increase in spending from last year’s budget.
Superintendent of Schools Charles Cardillo said the budget falls within a state-mandated tax cap of 1.23 percent
The proposed budget represents an eight-year tax levy average increase of 1.79 percent and 1.71 percent spending increase while student enrollment increased 6.6 percent during that span, administrators said.
School officials said during a four-hour workshop at the Manhasset Middle School library that the budget places high emphasis on maintaining and enhancing the “4 A’s” of academics, arts, athletics and activities programs across the school district.
“This budget took a herculean effort to produce and what reverberates throughout this document is that kids are placed at the forefront of what we’re doing,” Cardillo said.
With approximately 3,300 students enrolled at Munsey Park Elementary School, Shelter Rock Elementary School and the Manhasset Secondary School, which houses Manhasset Middle School and Manhasset High School, administrators said the budget calls for an increase in the number of courses offered.
The district plans to maintain current class sizes in most secondary school core instructional programs as enrollment continues to grow at the high school level.
The budget will also provide for an additional guidance counselor at the high school as enrollment reaches peak levels, allowing for lower student to counselor ratios.
Cardillo said the district had in previous budgets committed to hiring teachers to provide support that allows for appropriate class sizes and to address programmatic needs of students.
“This year because of our allowable tax cap, we’re not able to do the same kind of hiring that we did,” Cardillo said.
Cardillo said the district is hiring strategically this year at the secondary level in response to slight increases in enrollment.
The school district is also seeking to increase the number of programs and courses offered across the district, officials said.
At recent board meetings, administrators have stressed the district’s goal of spending to maintain and enhance academic and arts programs.
To meet increased demand at the middle and high school, the district plans to add provide additional academic opportunities by offering AP Italian Language, Earth Science Honors/AP Environmental Science, Earth Science Honors, Digital Photography and Animation, school officials said.
Electives that were offered for the first time in the 2015-16 school year like Advanced Creative Writing, Journalism, Latin I, Multivariable Calculus, AP Computer Science and Accounting, will be expanded under the proposed budget.
Cardillo said the district will continue to add course sections based on enrollment needs while maintaining the high school “inclusion model” to appropriately support all students.
The co-teaching model in sixth grade at Munsey Park and Shelter Rock will be restructured to reflect the Middle School model of two teachers — a regular education teacher and special education teacher working together in each classroom according to Cardillo.
Officials also said due to enrollment growth, English 9R, English 10R, English 11R, Global 9R, Global 10R, US History 11R, Living Environment, Earth Science, Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2/Trigonometry will be added to reduce class sizes.
Clubs and athletics, Cardillo said, will maintain the current level of team offerings for the junior varsity and varsity, while offering more opportunities for middle school students by adding an interscholastic athletics program for the fall and spring seasons.
There would also be increase in technology and digital initiatives with Chromebook purchases, instructional technology and infrastructure equipment for each sixth grade classroom at Munsey Park and Shelter Rock.
Also budgeted equipment purchases to achieve the completion of a disaster avoidance/recovery solution of a second Network Operations Center in Munsey Park.
Additional budget session have been scheduled for March 22 at 8 p.m. at Shelter Rock Library and April 7 at 8 p.m. at Munsey Park Library.
The board plans to vote to adopt the budget during its April 19 meeting.
An additional budget hearing will be held at the Middle School Library on May 5 before voters decide whether to approve the budget on May 19.
