By John Nugent
Manhasset Public Schools Superintendent Vincent Butera said Thursday the school district needs to “strengthen social and emotional support systems” as well as “academic support systems.”
Speaking at the district’s Board of Education meeting, he called for consistent grading practices and posed the question, “How do we assure that kids are assessed and evaluated properly?”
In addition, Butera stressed the importance of communicating with elementary school parents about the challenges children face as they transition into middle school.
The superintendent suggested a town hall meeting to exchange ideas on developing a “vision of where we are going” with our educational programs.
Butera presented an update on projects planned for the next fiscal year capital budget.
The district plans to proceed with several projects totaling approximately $4.4 million of the $4.8 million available in the capital reserve fund.
The projects are, for Manhasset Secondary School, an elevator and second security vestibule, for Munsey Park Elementary School, a space reconfiguration to add more classrooms and, in Shelter Rock Elementary School, a permanent security vestibule and reconfigured loading dock.
The board said it hopes that at least one of two additional projects in the secondary school can be included, although the cost of each would run the total number beyond what the capital reserve contains.
A social-emotional learning wing is expected to cost $1.4 million and a technology wing amount is $840 thousand.
The final list of projects and anticipated expenditures will be presented at the board of education meeting on Feb. 28. The public vote on the budget will take place on May 21.
Deputy Superintendent for Business and Finance Administrator Rosemary Johnson gave details of the proposed reconfiguration of parking and traffic lanes for more efficient traffic flow on the Manhasset Secondary School campus
The parking lot will be expanded from 205 to 218 spaces.
A new visitor policy will be implemented to improve control over access to school property. The plan includes a security booth at the entrance to school grounds.
