Great Neck voters overwhelmingly passed the $193 school budget with 81 percent of the vote, and $8.41 million library budget by 74 percent, in the May 17 election.
Uncontested Board of Education Trustees Larry Gross and Susan Healy were re-elected.
“Despite the almost daily attacks on public education, Great Neck has shown its commitment to our school,” said School Board President Barbara Berkowitz.
The school budget was approved by a margin of 1,338 to 316. The budget represents a 1.99 percent increase in spending and tax levy.
The library budget was approved by a margin of 1,182 to 419. It calls for a 2.4 percent increase that will cost the owner of a home valued at $1 million about $10 dollars.
“We will continue to make every dollar count,” said Library Director Jane Marino. “We hope to reward the confidence you show in your library, its staff and trustees with excellent service that you as community members and our valued patrons deserve from your library.”
The library budget increases spending by $44,000 or .5 percent over the 2011 budget of $8.37 million.
School board trustees attributed the win to a community that supports education and budget that complies with Gov. Anthony Cuomo’s hoped for 2 percent tax cap.
“We stuck to under 2 percent even though we didn’t have to,” Berkowitz said. “Certainly a lot of districts didn’t.”
Gross said the budget probably would have passed if the percent increase had been higher, “but it would have eroded confidence.”
Despite decreased revenue and increased costs, the school budget maintains all teaching positions and an array of programs that Great Neck Superintendant of Schools Tom Dolan called “impressive.”
Financial pressures included a six-figure loss in state aid, a 15 percent increase for health care and 30 percent increase for pensions.
Major reductions in the budget include the elimination of contingency funds, and the retirement of three long-time administrators and 17 teachers, who will be replaced by those who command lower salaries. School district administrators have initiated a voluntary wage freeze for the second year in a row.
Though trustees and school officials were proud of keeping cuts out of the classroom, they warned that choices would get tougher next year.
“The governor has completely avoided the issue of the day which is mandate relief,” Dolan said. “He is more interested in easy solutions. Without mandate relief, victories like tonight will get tougher.”
Despite what he called a “full bore attack on education,” Dolan was impressed that districts across Long Island passed their school budgets.
“Maybe there are one or two failures,” he said.
Per pupil spending for Great Neck’s more than 6,300 general education students is $15,575, versus $12,060 for similar districts, and $10,874 statewide, according to documents from the district.
Per pupil spending for approximately 800 special education students is $44,291, versus $32,897 in similar districts, and $26,551 statewide.
Last year, major reductions in the budget totaled more than $5 million. These included eliminating a central administrative position and that of environmental-safety consultant, reduction of 10.40 elementary and 11.46 secondary teachers due to attrition, reduction of hourly teachers, teaching assistants, paraprofessional monitors, clerical staff members, coaches, and cleaners, reduction of elementary before school and academic enrichment programs, reduction of elementary and secondary intramurals, and reduction of technology projects. Also, user fees for K-12 summer programs and the adult program were increased.
Gross is a 30-year veteran of the board of education and the district’s longest seated board member.
“I enjoy being a board member,” he said. “I find it exciting, challenging.”
Susan Healy was appointed a little over five years ago to fill the seat left vacant by Nassau County Legislator Judi Bosworth (D-Great Neck).
“I love working with this board,” she said. “I look forward to serving the community.”
