The Manhasset Board of Education approved a tax levy last week that will raise taxpayers’ contribution in the district by 1.17 percent.
The levy covers an increase in the budget for the 2016-17 school year, which saw a $1.6 million jump to $92,008,827.
The budget represents a 1.79 percent increase from last year, and through other revenues the school district paid some of that difference, reducing the taxpayers’ responsibility to the 1.17 percent rise.
Based on the average assessed value of homes in the district, it is estimated that the levy will result in a $133 increase to the yearly bill, the deputy superintendent for business and finance, Rosemary Johnson, said at an Aug. 25 board meeting.
But the change in the tax bill isn’t final. Now that the levy was approved, the county determines how much different categories of taxpayers will be responsible for, she said.
As of last year, homeowners in the district contributed about 78 percent of the school budget, while the rest fell onto other entities like businesses and apartments.
This year that homeowner proportion could be increased or decreased by the county, which will affect whether or not that 1.17 percent will grow.
“Every district is different because it depends on its components,” Johnson said. “It does vary, but [ours] hovers around that high 70s number in recent years.”
Also during the meeting, the board discussed a revision to the district’s attendance policy to correct a loophole that officials said students were abusing.
Students will now have to be present for the entire school day to participate in extracurricular activities, the policy says. Previously, students could participate in after-school programs if they attended a minimum of five class periods, but board members said that students were abusing that policy.
“The abuses that took place were significant,” Superintendent Charles Cardillo said. “And it’s not a healthy situation for a school district, one of the top in the country, where kids are then saying, ‘I’ll come in period four to be eligible to play sports, to be eligible to be in the musical’ and so on.”
There were some instances where a student would be absent for part of the day under the guise of a doctor’s appointment, but there was no appointment, Cardillo said.
Each absence will now be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, he said.
The officials said they expect there will be an adjustment period, but the problem had to be corrected.
“Having heard and seen the abuses were outrageous, and to have a child feel entitled to be able to play in the varsity game but not show up for tests, it can’t be that way,” said the board president, Regina Rule. “I think we can hopefully trust our administration enough, now that we know we need to make the change for the good of everybody.”
Also, first period will now start at 8:13 a.m., with the morning announcements and Pledge of Allegiance moved to the end of first period. Trustee Pat Aitken said this was done to stop students from being late in the morning and skipping homeroom.
Students who arrive late to first period three times will receive a detention, the policy says.
