Manhasset-area residents will head to the polls next Tuesday to vote on the school district budget, Board of Education candidates and appropriations of capital funding.
Board of Education President Regina Rule and Trustee Christine Monterosso are running for re-election unopposed, which Rule said will create continuity in contrast with a recent period of high turnover in district administration.
Capital projects would affect each of the district’s three schools, ranging from new classrooms in Munsey Park Elementary School to an elevator at the secondary school.
The budget of nearly $100 million equates to about $30,464 spent per student.
“We’re certainly proud of the budget we’ve put together for the community,” said Manhasset Superintendent Vincent Butera. “We certainly encourage all community members to come out and vote.”
Below is a guide to Manhasset’s ballot.
- Manhasset school district budget
The district’s adopted budget is $99.497 million, a 3.25 percent increase from the current budget. The tax levy would increase by 2.99 percent, the maximum amount allowable under the tax cap.
- Capital Reserve Fund allocation
The ballot includes building projects costing $5.83 million, $4.92 million of which comes from the 2010 capital reserve.
The projects are divided between each of the three schools.
For Shelter Rock Elementary School, the locker room and office space would be reconstructed to create a security vestibule and there would be an additional reconstruction of the loading dock.
For Munsey Park Elementary School, reconfiguring the stage in the multi-purpose room and additional classrooms and offices would create new classrooms and meeting spaces.
For Manhasset Secondary School, there would be a new security vestibule by the gymnasium entrance, a three-story elevator and a new social-emotional learning wing in the middle school area.
- Regina Rule
Rule is the Board of Education’s current president and is running for re-election unopposed.
She has served on the board for nine years and said that she is proud of how the board maintains a districtwide dialogue, its emphasis on student and staff well-being and investments in building upgrades.
There has been a lot of turnover in the district’s administration, so stability in members of the board would benefit it in this transitional time, she said.
- Christine Monterosso
Monterosso is a trustee running for re-election unopposed. This would be her second term on the board.
She said social-emotional student health is a priority for her going forward on the board. Her three children – an elementary schooler, middle schooler and high schooler – are students in the district, and she said that gives her a unique opportunity to monitor what is happening in the schools.
