Mineola School District officials last week presented the first draft of the district’s 2015-16 budget, which looks to maintain all current programming, expand certain curriculum and hire more math teachers, while remaining below the tax cap.
The $89.4 million recommended budget marks an increase of 1.84 percent, or $1.6 million, over the current year’s budget.
Superintendent Michael Nagler said at the Mineola’s board meeting that the district would add 4.5 math teaching positions, mostly in middle school and high school, in part by using money saved by eight teachers retiring at high-tier salaries.
“When you have eight retirees at higher salaries, we’re able to hire those four additional teachers really with not much increase in the budget this year,” Nagler said. “What will be important is for us to balance that going forward because those new teachers will get more money in the future.”
The district would also increase math offerings at the high school and increase the amount of time seventh graders spend in math class, Nagler said at the presentation.
The shift in seventh grade instruction stems in part from the district’s past decision to teach regents algebra, typically a non-advanced ninth-grade class, in eighth grade in order to prepare students to pass trigonometry later in high school, Nagler said.
“We’re trying to get every student through trigonometry. Trigonometry and chemistry are kind of the gatekeepers to college,” he said. “In order to do that we’ve started algebra in the eighth grade.”
He said that in the past, the district had tried splitting trigonometry into two years, but that “what we found success with is doubling the time” students spend in class.
Beginning next year, the district would provide seventh grade students with one to two full periods of math per day, based on the student’s needs.
“Those are hard subjects, so sometimes children need a little more time,” Nagler said.
The budget would also fund several capital projects and increase hands-on science lab for grades kindergarten to second grade.
“I think it’s important every child gets the same experience in terms of science labs,” Nagler said.
Mineola Board of Education President Artie Barnett said that in 2015-16 the district looks to enhance programs while maintaining sound fiscal practices, including the district’s pay-as-you-go policy.
“Our overall goals are to maintain all programs and to enhance them… and also save for future needs – which I assure you keep on coming,” Barnett said.
Like all districts in New York, Mineola is benefitting from a significant drop in employer pension contribution rates, which had ballooned in recent years.
Barnett said that the district for this year has a particular focus on STEAM subjects: science, technology, engineering, art and math.
“We want to ramp up robotics; we want to ramp up coding classwork,” Barnett said. “We’re not leaving anyone behind, but we’re certainly taking [STEAM programs] to the next level at the high school.”
The final budget proposal be voted on by the board on April 23 and will go before voters in May.
