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Community Education

The Community Education Committee’s goal is to raise community awareness and provide clarity regarding issues pertinent to the education mission of the Manhasset School District.

Community Education Co-Chairs:
Christine Monterosso

2011-2012 Budget

· The Board of Education Adopts a 2.49% Budget, Document>>
For the 2011-2012 school year, the Administration and the Board of Education are committed to offering a K-12 program that maintains the integrity of Manhasset's academic and co-curricular programs. This is reflected in the proposed attached budget (adopted by the Board at its April 14 Board meeting), which is a 2.49% increase.

Curriculum

· World Languages and ESL Curriculum Presentation, Details>>
On April 14, 2011, the Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's World Languages and ESL Curriculum. The presentation was made by Laurie Marshall-Lauria, District Coordinator.

· Fine and Performing Arts Curriculum Presentation by Dr. Anthony Ambrogio, Administrator for the Arts, Details>>
At its March 3, 2011 meeting, the Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's Fine and Performing Arts Curriculum for Grades K-12. The presentation was made by Anthony Ambrogio,Administrator for Fine and Performing Arts.

· The 2011-2012 High School Course Catalogue underwent a thorough editing and review process and was delivered to the students in early January. Course catalogue>>

· Science and Technology Presentation by District Coordinator Theresa Curry, Details>>
At its February 3, 2011 meeting, the Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's Science and Technology Curriculum for Grades K-12. The presentation was made by Theresa Curry, District Coordinator.

· Social Studies Presentation by District Coordinator Mara Steindam, Details>>
At the January 6, 2011 meeting, the Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's Social Studies curriculum, Grades 5-12. The presentation was given by District Coordinator Mara Steindam.

· English Language Arts Curriculum Presentation, Details>>
The Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's English Language Arts curriculum. The presentation was given by District Coordinator Patrick O'Reilly on December 2. To view the presentation, select Details above.

· Math Presentation by District Coordinator Ray Scacalossi, Details>>
At its November 18 meeting, the Board of Education heard a presentation on the District's math curriculum, given by Ray Scacalossi, District Coordinator.  An abbreviated presentation was also given by Mr. Scacalossi at the MS/HS Joint Parent Council meeting on November 19.

· Assesment Data Presentation
In raising the bar for students for what it means for a student to be proficient, the NYS Board of Regents changed the scale for scoring ELA and Math exams for Grades 3-8. A presentation and analysis of assessment data K-12 was given at the October 14 Board meeting. Assesment data presentation>>

· District Health Curriculum Presentation
A comprehensive look at the District Health Curriculum was given on September 16. Health Curriculum Presentation>>

Business

· Board Adopts Resolution for Proposition 2 to be Added to the Ballot for Voter Consideration, Capital Reserve Fund Proposition>>
At the March 17 Board of Education meeting, Facilities Director Armand Markarian and District architect John Grillo discussed the details behind the Capital Reserve Fund Proposition.

The District's 2010 Building Conditions Survey was presented to the Board of Education by the District's architect, John A. Grillo Associates, Architects, PC, at its public meeting on January 20, 2011. At its meeting on March 17, 2011, the Board determined that it is necessary and desirable to undertake certain capital projects identified as a result of the District's 2010 Building Conditions Survey and other priority projects described in the attached document. Specific details of each project are included in the Capital Reserve Fund Proposition>>

The Capital Reserve Proposition 2 on the May 17 ballot will cover projects with a total estimated cost of $2,405,725, and will be funded from the balance of 2010 Capital Reserve Fund plus interest, and the General Fund unappropriated unreserved funds of no more than
$286,991. Projects will include:

· 2011-2012 Budget Sessions began with the Budget Workshop on Saturday, March 5 at 9 am in the Secondary School Board Room. The Board and the Administration reviewed the details of the Superintendent’s preliminary working budget. The challenge is to deal with the significant increases in mandated pension and health care contributions. The public is encouraged to attend all budget presentations. Budget Calendar>>

· Fund Balance Analysis, Presentation>>
At the February 17 Board of Education meeting, Rosemary Johnson, Deputy Superintendent for Business and Finance presented the Fund Balance Analysis.

· The Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Legislative Affairs (CACLA) is leading an effort to build a coalition of schools. This Long Island Educational Advocacy District (LEAD) is striving to reach our elected officials with a unified platform. The immediate issue is to advocate that New York State mandate reform be addressed before any tax cap is passed. School districts across New York State are facing unprecedented budget pressures and uncertainty about the future due to cuts in state and federal funding and costly state mandates. Legislative reform of burdensome unfunded mandates would enable school districts to better control costs, thereby offering real and sustainable tax relief to their communities. LEAD is circulating a letter to school districts across Long Island that calls for responsible mandate reform before the imposition of a tax cap.

· Bylaws of the Board of Education of the Manhasset Public Schools, Document>>
The Bylaws of the Board of Education were formally adopted on Thursday, February 3, 2011

· The Code of Conduct Committee, comprised of students, parents, members of the SCA, Administrators and Faculty has been working to update the current student code so that it addresses and includes bullying and cyberbullying. The Committee’s recommendations will be presented to the Board in the near future for further discussion and review. After public discussion and 3 readings, the Code of Conduct will be adopted.

· Enrollment projections for the District have been updated and continue to show that total building enrollment is expected to peak in 2015-2016 at 3,296 students and remain stable at a slightly reduced level from the peak. Enrollment stands now at 3,166 students. Enrollment Projections>>

· District's Workers Compensation Coverage
On November 18, 2010 the Board of Education unanimously voted to move the District’s Workers Compensation coverage to the Nassau County Schools Cooperative Self-Insurance Plan as of 12/1/10. This change was made at the recommendation of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee on Finance (CACF).  The Committee reviewed the existing Workers Compensation program and available alternative plans and concluded that the School District was undertaking an inadvisably high level of risk under the existing program that exposed the District to large variances in annual insurance costs should a major workers compensation event occur.  Membership in the Nassau County Schools Cooperative Self-Insurance Plan provides terms and conditions that greatly diminish the exposure the District currently has to large upward swings in annual WC insurance costs.    The move to the Co-op does not require the District to change the current broker, claims handler or safety subcontractors. 

· Financial Statements, Audit Report
At its November 4 meeting, the Board of Education heard a special presentation on the District’s Audited Financial Statements, given by Rosemary Johnson, Deputy Superintendent for Business. Financial Statement>> and Auditor's Review>>

· The Board's position on Nassau County Assesment
The Board passed a resolution on October 7, 2010, stating “BE IT RESOLVED, that the Manhasset Union Free School District Board of Education opposes any legislation, from whatever source, that would shift the responsibility of the County of Nassau for funding multi-year tax certiorari settlements of its assessment errors onto the local school district tax levy“. This was done because as part of the plan to close the current County budget gap, the Nassau County Executive has proposed ending the County guarantee which holds school districts harmless from payments of property tax claims. The County guarantee dates back to 1948 when the New York State Legislature determined that Nassau County should be responsible for costs and penalties resulting from its errors in assessment. This proposal is being made without the approval of New York State or the county school districts, and it would result in a shift of the payments from the County to the individual school districts, thereby raising school taxes without providing any educational value.

· Citizen’s Advisory Committee for Legislative Affairs
Manhasset's CACLA committee submitted a resolution to support mandate reform through an amendment to Education Law Section 3635 which would allow school districts to adjust the capacity of bus seats based on actual patterns of ridership, and the Board would like to ensure that this becomes a part of the NYSSBA’s advocacy platform for 2011.

· Community members needed by Board
The Board continues to seek members of the community interested in serving on the Citizen’s Advisory Committees: Athletics, Audit, Finance, and Technology. Applications are available on the web.

· Board Policy Committee
The Board’s Policy Committee has begun to conduct a systematic review of policy which has not been done in a number of years. The Board is also assessing ways to be more responsive to the community. Working sessions of the Board to review Policy will take place most Fridays, beginning at 9:30 am. If an SCA meeting is taking place at 9:30, the committee will convene at 11:30 am. The public is welcome, and notices will be posted.

Personnel

· The District’s contract with the Manhasset Educational Support Personnel Association(MESPA) expired on June 30, 2010. The negotiating teams unfortunately have been unable to reach a settlement and are now at impasse. The parties have mutually agreed to the appointment of a mediator to assist the parties in reaching an agreement. Mediation sessions are ongoing. In accordance with the Triborough Amendment to the Taylor Law, the terms of the school district’s contract with MESPA continue in full force and effect after the expiration date until a new contract is negotiated.

· Superintendent, Charlie Cardillo marks his 5th Anniversary with the Manhasset Schools. Mr. Cardillo has accomplished a lot in a short period including overseeing a wide range of facilities improvements; championing an improved transition for students from elementary to secondary school; promoting increased student participation in Advanced Placement courses, and spearheading numerous curriculum initiatives at the elementary schools.

· The District bid farewell to Coach Don Scott who lost his battle with cancer in early November. Coach Scott was honored for his 500th Cross Country Win on October 21.

· Staff Members, District Coordinator of World Languages Hired
Manhasset School District hired a District Coordinator of World Languages, Laurie Marshall-Lauria, and 30 new staff members across all schools over the summer.

· Retirement Incentive
Due to the District adopting the 2010 NYS Retirement Incentive for fifteen (15) teachers and the cooperation of the MEA in a contract modification, the District will net savings of just over $2.4 million in the next 5 years. Recognition of those who retired over the summer will be held in each school at Board meetings over the next several months.

Facilities

· Plans are in place to accommodate the incoming 7th grade for Fall 2011. Next year, the student population at the Secondary School is expected to increase by approximately 50 students due primarily to the incoming 7th Grade Class. The District’s plans maximize the utilization of space without having to incur additional cost by impacting the footprint of the building.

· The District, with thanks to the persistence and hard work of Huntington Coach, was able to relocate the buses over the winter holiday break to an unused lot off West Shore Road in Port Washington. This offsite location was made available through an ‘Intermunicipal Agreement” (IMA) the District signed with the Town of North Hempstead.

· Questions have been raised regarding savings that could result from installing solar panels on the roofs of the schools. Further research uncovers a number of issues that contribute to solar panels not being cost effective for the District: steep initial costs of installation; high cost of panels themselves; potential difficulties involving roofing systems; limited rebate availability; lack of tax incentives as the District is a tax-free entity and possible maintenance issues. The District will continue to monitor the market to see if panels become viable at some point in the future.

· John Grillo, District Architect, delivered the Building Condition Survey to the Board at the January 20th Board meeting. All three school complexes were rated satisfactory versus only Munsey Park receiving a satisfactory grade in 2005. The District believes that a number of issues that were addressed since 2005 can be avoided in the future with proper maintenance and upkeep. Building Condition Survey>>, Facilities Evaluation>>

· Facilities Presentation
Extensive work on facilities took place over the summer at all schools. Facilities presentation>>

· Secondary School Locker Rooms
Secondary school locker rooms are being fully utilized and are largely complete.

· Secondary School Cafeteria
A new and improved “grab and go” window in the secondary school cafeteria has been well received.

· Munsey Park Bus Loop
The bus loop at Munsey Park was completed and allows for much safer and more efficient bus operations at the school.

· SCA Gifts: Secondary School Auditorium Refurbishment and Flagpole Landscaping, MP Playground
The SCA gave a number of gifts to the District including the repair, renovation and reupholstering of the seating in the secondary school auditorium, an all-weather play surface and climbing pieces at Munsey Park, plantings around the secondary school flagpole and bench area

· Secondary School Installs Generously Donated Turf Field
A new turf field at the back of the secondary school is being installed, and lights were erected over the summer. This project was donated to the District by members of the community working with Indians Rock.

·Tower Foundation Gift
Adventure Learning equipment was installed at all schools and staff was trained in the program; this was made possible by gifts from the Tower Foundation. Adventure Learning Programs provide teambuilding activities to strengthen individual and group skills in problem solving, communication, trust, cooperation and decision making. Learn more from the presentation on September 16. Adventure Learning Program>>

Upcoming Meetings

Board of Education Meeting, Link to Board of Education Site>>

Let Your Voice Be Heard!

Members of the community are welcome to attend all Board meetings where you will have an opportunity to voice your opinion. Also, you can always email your questions and comments to the Board of Education at boe@manhasset.k12.ny.us

Save The Date! 2011-2012 School Budget Vote, Details>>
Tuesday, May 17, 6:30 am - 10:00 pm, Manhasset High School Gymnasium
For Voter Registration Procedures and Absentee Ballot Applications Click Here>>

Voter Registration Drive, Forms >>
Voter Registration forms are available Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Manhasset Secondary School Central Office, from District Clerk Carol Catanzaro. Forms are also available at the Manhasset Public Library, Fifth Avenue Barber Shop (Franco's) at 15 Maple Place, and the lobby of the Town Clerk's office at 200 Plandome Road. Questions? Please call 267-7720.