Rule, Prinzo elected to lead ed board

Bill San Antonio

The seats will switch on the Manhasset Board of Education, but the leadership stays the same.

Trustee Regina Rule on Thursday was elected as the board’s president for the 2013-14 school year, swapping seats with Trustee Carlo Prinzo, who had served as the board’s president during the previous school year. Prinzo was elected vice president during the district’s annual reorganization meeting.

“Oh, you had the good chair all this time,” Prinzo said.

Rule, previously the board’s vice president under Prinzo, was also officially sworn in as a trustee, as was Craig Anderson. Rule and Anderson were re-elected to their trustee positions in May.

Rule addressed her election at the meeting’s conclusion, saying she was grateful to sit as the board’s president and thankful to serve the district with those seated around the conference table to take on the challenges that face the district in the coming year.

“I’ve moved over a seat here at the table, and I’m counting on everybody seated at the table and in the community for input, for counsel and feedback,” Rule said. “I thank you for your support and this opportunity to be your board president.” 

The board gave a standing ovation to retiring District Clerk Carol Catanzaro, who served in her position for the last 16 years, and welcomed Christine Michelen, who will take over starting Aug. 1.

The board heard a special presentation from Assistant Superintendent for Business Rosemary Johnson and food service consultant Sue Merims about the school cafeteria program. 

The board voted to remove the middle and high school from the National School Lunch Program and raised school lunch prices by 25 cents at the district’s elementary and secondary levels, from $2.75 to $3.00 at the elementary schools and $3.50 at the middle school and high school, though food offerings are not expected to change.

“We’re not trying to gouge anybody,” Merims said. “We’re just trying to bring to the market what the price is equitably at elsewhere.”

The district removed its secondary school, which encompasses Manhasset Middle School and Manhasset High School, from the program because Johnson said meetings with the state education department revealed the requirements for meal components in accordance with the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act have been relaxed and will likely remain relaxed in the future. 

Johnson said there has recently been a “universal acknowledgement that the components [of the National School Lunch Program] as they were constructed are too restrictive and too difficult to comply with and highly unlikely go back into effect.” As a result of the relaxation, she said, school districts have used different portion sizes to fill standard requirements for calories. 

In addition, restrictions have been placed on a district’s ability to sell certain à la carte items. 

The board allocated $100,000 in its budget for its school lunch program, but Johnson said at the time the budget was set the district assumed it would still maintain the National School Lunch Program at the elementary and secondary levels. 

Johnson estimated the cost without the program at $30,000-$35,000.

The board said the increased prices for lunches and à la carte items coincides with the rising cost of food.

“Even the $5 dollar special at Louie’s [a Manhasset restaurant] is $6 now,” Trustee Patricia Aitken said.

Merims reminded the board that even though the state requires schools to put their lunch programs out to bid every five years, a school district could put the lunch program out to bid more frequently.

Superintendent of Schools Charles Cardillo also gave an update on the district’s re-turfing initiative at the secondary school, saying substantial completion of the project is expected by Aug. 21. 

Cardillo said he met with architect John Grillo on Thursday, who told him asphalt from the high school track will be removed July 29-30 and will take two weeks for replacement. 

In addition, the football field’s turf new will be installed from Aug. 5-15.

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