Long Island schools are set to receive about $2.9 billion in state aid, a $100 million boost over the current year, but Manhasset is projected to get a small piece of that pie.
Manhasset school district is projected to receive $4,583,588, a $72,633 or 1.61 percent increase in state aid funding over this year’s $4,510,955.
Manhasset’s overall 2018-19 budget of $96,318,582, a 2.59 percent increase over the current budget, with a 2.99 percent tax levy, the maximum allowed by the district.
Despite the state aid being a fraction of the overall $96 million budget, Rosemary Johnson, the district’s deputy superintendent for business, said every bit of funding helps.
“Every dollar of state aid is important to us because we’re so tight, especially in this year where you have pension benefits going up 10 percent,” Johnson said. “The impact of those benefits alone is significant.
“It’s devastating. There’s no cushion for districts and other municipalities from other things like that.”
Manhasset is projected to receive the second lowest amount of state aid on the North Shore, just above Roslyn school district’s 1.34 percent or $72,121.
East Williston Union Free School District will see the largest increase of schools in the area of about 6.81 percent. The district will receive $3,516,353 in aid and Herricks Public Schools will receive $11,157,010, a 4.26 percent increase from last year.
Neighboring Great Neck and Port Washington districts are seeing nearly double the average increase in aid across Long Island with 7.4 percent and 7.53 percent respectively.
Nassau County districts will see a 3.82 percent increase overall, with an additional $38.6 million in state aid funds in the overall $1.05 billion given to the county.
Suffolk County is projecting a 3.43 percent increase in state aid, up $61.4 million to $1.85 billion.
The Manhasset Board of Education is set to host an informal budget hearing at Munsey Park Elementary School on April 12, adopt the budget at the April 17 meeting in the Charlie Cardillo Community Room and another budget hearing on May 3 in the community room.
