The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Board of Education proposed a $36,004,325 district budget for 2014-15 at Monday night’s school board meeting, a 1.35 percent increase of $478,570 over the 2013-14 budget of $35,525,755.
The 2014-15 tax levy is projected to increase 1.64 percent by $475,790 to $29,531,279 from the current tax levy of $29,055,489. That falls within the state-mandated tax cap on school districts of 1.66 percent for 2014-15 levy increases.
The district struggled to maintain programs, faculty, and resources New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Superintendent of Schools Robert Katulak said.
The district, Katalak said, faced “costs driven by factors beyond our control,” including locally capped school revenues, rising pension and health care costs, and other unfunded state and federal mandates.
To maintain this budget, Katulak said, the district intends to “keep class size on the average guideline of 20-25 students in primary kindergarten through second, and 25-29 students in grades three through six.”
He said the average class size in the district is 22 students.
Although the district plans to keep class sizes constant, many residents expressed concern over class sizes in the Manor Oaks school, where they said large class sizes and the new Common Core standards have made it difficult for their children to maintain a healthy learning experience.
“I believe that if the classes were smaller this wouldn’t be an issue,” said resident Josh Prince, who has a fourth grade daughter at Manor Oaks.
“We are still examining the class size issue and its financial implications,” Katulak said. “The budget isn’t final. It’s a draft.”
The proposed budget will come the installation and upgrading of security systems in the summer of 2014. No dollar amount was attached to the installation of security equipment which will include intercom and video systems at the main entrances, panic alarms, new PA systems, and high security locks.
The school board also approved adopting partial property tax exemptions for military veterans, which would give property tax cuts to war veterans in the district’s area. The vote unanimous across the board in favor of adoption.
A the law is now written, once school districts opt in to provide the exemptions, they are not able to opt out.
“This would only be an issue if the amount, let’s say, tripled. No person in this room spoke against adopting this,” said Katulak. “What it does is, it has everyone else pay a little bit more while the veterans pay a little bit less.”
The school board adopted the tax exemption guidelines the state suggested to offer a 15 percent exemption for all military veterans with an additional 10 percent for those who served in combat. The state also recommended an additional 50 percent exemption for veterans disabled as a result of their military service.
The board meeting included a singing performance given by fifth and sixth grade students, which included a rendition of The Beatles song “Blackbird.”
The budget vote will be held on May 20, however if it does not pass another vote will be held on June 17.
