The New Hyde Park-Garden City Park Board of Education adopted a $39,246,850 budget for 2018-19, a 2.7 percent increase from this year’s budget, during Monday’s meeting.
The tax levy increase is 2.92 percent, equal to the tax cap.
The tax levy is $30,847,407, an increase of $847,017. The average increase per homeowner for the year is $97.17.
The largest portion, about 80 percent, of the budget comes from salaries and benefits. However, that number increased by less than $400,000 from the current budget.
The proposed budget is a little over $1 million more than this year’s budget.
Some aspects included in the budget are iPads for fourth-graders and Chromebooks for classrooms and for each library.
The public can vote on the budget on May 15 at Tully Park.
The Sewanhaka Central High School budget is independent of the elementary district’s budget and is a separate vote.
Assistant Superintendent for Business Michael Frank wasn’t the only one presenting on Monday.
Following the budget presentation, three elementary students who are part of a math enrichment program presented their projects.
Darsh Mirchandani, a fourth-grade student at New Hyde Park Road School, presented his project, which compared the costs of renting versus buying a home.
Michayla Rinaldi and Veronica Fulgieri, sixth-grade students from Manor Oaks School, presented their project, which discussed if job salaries pay off college tuition in the long run.
The girls compared a handful of jobs and used statistics from five different states.
Superintendent Jennifer Morrison said she was speechless and floored by the students’ presentations and thanked the parents for sharing their students with the district.
During the meeting two third-grade students form Hillside Grade School, Cyril Shaji and Kevin Kuriakose, also gave a presentation.
The boys performed the story “I’ve Got Two Dogs” by John Lithgow.
The boys got up on stage and recited the story from memory, in unison.
They told Morrison it took them two days to memorize and said they practiced during recess.
