By Stephanie Mariel Petrellese

At their March 17th meeting, the Garden City Board of Education asked administrators to take another look at the budget in an effort to get the projected tax levy to fall below five percent.

The proposed budget is $94,637,782, which is 4.64 percent higher than last year. It is the lowest percentage increase in nine years. When Garden City is compared to 11 other districts in Nassau County with residents in a similar income bracket, they have the second lowest budget-to-budget increase and projected tax levy increase.

The projected tax levy increase (with STAR) is currently 5.04 percent. The tax levy is expected to change since the amount of state aid the district will receive has yet to be determined.

Albert Chase, the district's assistant superintendent for business and finance, hopes that the new state governor will increase state aid in a conciliatory effort to appease Republicans at the Senate level. Chase is hoping to get at least the same amount of aid the district received last year.

School Board President Kenneth Monaghan acknowledged that administrators have done "a lot of trimming" to an already tight budget. The Board considers many of the instructional pieces of the proposed budget, such as the extension of the foreign language program (FLES) to grade 5, to be untouchable.

Chase presented the budget summary since Superintendent Dr. Robert Feirsen's flight home from a conference in New Orleans was delayed. A budget increase is warranted due to significant increases in fuel costs, surcharges and other utilities; costs for mandated special education programs, including the extended day program; contractual salaries and related benefits; and the Social Security ceiling from $100,200 to $104,700.

Chase explained at the March 3rd meeting that the district is currently utilizing a grant to cover the cost of its extended school day program. Since the grant money will not be available next year, he has deducted $152,000 out of the 2008/09 tax levy fund to cover the cost.

The budget includes six new full-time equivalent positions: one foreign language (FLES) teacher for the fifth grade; one elementary/primary teacher, whose placement will depend on enrollment and programming; and 1.5 high school teachers, who are needed due to increased enrollment and new course offerings. In special education, Dr. Feirsen has requested 2.5 positions be added, mostly at the high school, to be utilized for co-teaching and a new math program. He said it is possible a psychologist for the middle school would also be hired.

The budget also includes funding for several new high school courses, including AP Macroeconomics, AP Government and Politics, college credit-bearing courses in business law and management, Digital Photography II, an interdisciplinary course on Greece and Rome, and an introductory science research course for ninth graders.

If the budget is passed, the district will begin one additional curriculum review, implement a new secondary math sequence and revise course options in high school math. Several programs will also be changed, including grade 7 math, grade 6 science and level I middle school Spanish.

In the area of technology, major initiatives include hiring one full-time technology staff developer to assist faculty in technology integration and utilization. The financial impact will be lessened since one technician position, which is currently open, will be eliminated. The developer will serve as a coach for faculty and staff and help individuals with their specific technological concerns and issues.

Turning to athletics, one winter track coach and one intramural fencing supervisor are proposed for the Middle School.

The capital portion of the budget totals $14,333,398, or 15.15 percent of the overall budget. As it has done for several years, the district will maintain $1 million for capital improvements.

Major projects in the next year at the high school include resurfacing, lining and repair of the track and replacing student lockers. At the middle school, projects include replacing the south gym bleachers; creating a Scan Tek lab in the technology room, which will allow students to utilize a series of tech-based modules to solve engineering problems; replacing the steps near the auditorium; replacing a clothes dryer and washer, which are used to launder athletic team clothing; and repaving the front bus circle and installing guard rails.

The lower schools and transportation building will also get much-needed repairs. At Stewart School, two faculty bathrooms will be renovated. At Stratford, the auditorium ceiling and adjacent walls will be repaired and repainted. At Homestead, several exterior doors will be replaced and two playgrounds will be resurfaced and the blacktop expanded. At Locust, the multipurpose room curtains will be replaced and the chimney flashing will be repaired. At the transportation building, the roof will be replaced and a new 2-way radio system will be installed.

The budget also includes $100,000 to purchase and implement a district-wide, off-site disaster recovery system to ensure business continuity in case the district's software and hardware is destroyed. The district would also like to replace one truck for the Facilities Dept., and continue door and ceiling replacement, with special emphasis at the middle school.

Under transportation, Dr. Feirsen stressed at the March 10th work session that it is important to stay on target with the scheduled replacement of school buses and other vehicles to replace an aging fleet. The 2008/2009 budget includes $399,000 for the purchase of three new 66-passenger buses.

Once again this year residents will be able to determine their exact tax increase by visiting the district's Web site, www.gardencity.k12.ny.us. Through this site, residents will be able to access Nassau County's Web site, where they can type in their tax lot information and find out how much taxes will increase. The amount will not reflect STAR program discounts. The link will be up and running soon.

The public will still have opportunities to comment and ask budget-related questions. Besides the regular Board work sessions and meetings, there will be a public hearing on the budget on Monday, May 12. Garden City residents will be asked to vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 20.