The Mineola Board of Education unanimously approved a cooperative transportation agreement with the Nassau Board of Cooperative Educational Services for the 2015-16 school year at Thursday’s meeting.
The agreement with BOCES will allow more flexibility for pupil transportation services, Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler said.
“Even though we have our own buses we can’t service every single student. Occasionally we need to contract out. We are also a vendor sometimes, not necessarily under this agreement. We will be the bus company that takes other children around,” Nagler said.
Mineola school officials reported that enrollment went up approximately 10 students per grade, although Nagler noted that enrollment in pre-K went down.
The school officials said overall enrollment is back to where it was two years ago, although final numbers would not be available until October.
“While other districts are seeing a decline we’re not,” Nagler said
He said he recently got helpful suggestions in a meeting with demographers from Educational Legacy regarding enrollment.
The board also approved the continuation of a lease with the Portuguese Cultural Society for another year.
The Portuguese Cultural Society was in danger of not existing a few years ago but is now growing, Nagler said.
In other developments:
• The board saw a presentation on the summer Extended School Year program for the disabled covered community services such as making sandwiches for the Inn, life skills classes such as cooking, technology programs such as introducing chrome and academics such as developing reading skills.
• Michael Mark reviewed the Capital Reserve Project covering an additional classroom at Hampton Street and projects at the high school including the Astro Turf track and interior modification.
The plans include glass-enclosed rooms for the fabrication lab at the high school allowing students to view all phases of productions.
“One of the things we did was increase visibility of space,” Mark said.
The project manager for the state Education Department will allow the Capital Reserve Project to go into queue pending the State Environmental Quality Review resolution. Once you get a place in line, that place will be held, Mark said.
