Schools

Mineola Board of Ed Candidates' Plans Questioned

Superintendent says proposed budget is only possible with current reconfiguration.

Following the Mineola school district’s meet the candidate night on May 2, Board of Education vice-President Christine Napolitano reported receiving numerous phone calls from “very concerned” residents over the possibility of two candidates changing the reconfiguration plan should the 2011-12 budget fail at the polls on May 17.

When she posed the question if any changes could be made when the new board takes office after July 1, Superintendent Dr. Michael Nagler confirmed the possibility, saying that the new board has the ability to alter the district’s educational program as they see fit, including not allocating funds to Hampton construction and even putting a stop to the building closures altogether.

The two candidates in question are and , both of whom were present at the May 5 board of education meeting at the where Napolitano asked the two candidates to clarify their platforms.

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Levitan has suggested that the board consider closing , making Willis Avenue the pre-K through first grade building, and housing grades 2 through 5, and the and remaining the same.

“It’s the ,” Dr. Nagler said, noting that for Willis it would mean converting the second floor into classrooms.

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Levitan asked for her plan not to be included in the budget discussion for fear the two would be confused. “If you start putting my plan in there, I haven’t been elected yet, if I am elected,” she said. “I would like to see if the community is willing to (elect me).”

However, Napolitano felt that the clarification was necessary so residents know what they are voting for and asked the superintendent to prepare numbers to see if Levitan’s proposal would be feasible.

“I’d like to talk about what a budget like that might look like in another year if we’re talking about a reconfiguration like that,” she said.

Dr. Nagler stated that the is “only possible” because of the .

“I don’t know because I don’t know what the new plan is,” he said of any possible numbers, pointing out that any plan which requires teachers “is a problem” because the savings from the reconfiguration is gleaned from moving the grades and 15 teachers would have to come back into the budget.

“You would need to find money for 15 teachers and in a span of two months reverse everything that we just worked on for four months,” Nagler said. “If we’re hiring teachers, we’re taking money from somewhere in the budget.”

Additionally, associated costs for teachers such as health and retirement contributions which go up about 5 percent a year, would also increase.

“The next year would be a horror show,” the superintendent said.

The district can only excess a maximum of seven teachers per year according to their contract, unless a school is closed, in which case 10 can be excessed. Most of the 15 teachers being excessed are fifth and eighth grade teachers: three elementary and 12 in retirees and in secondary levels combined.

“In essence we just wasted closing a school in the amount of teachers you can let go,” Nagler said. 

The new board could also decide to do without the 15 teachers and increase class sizes or not offer particular services.

“Either way, you’re either cutting program next year or you’re increasing a budget next year, both of which you don’t have to do if you pass the budget,” Dr. Nagler said.

Hypothetically it was said that if the budget passes, the new board could scrap the construction plans for the schools and hire back the excessed teachers using the funds for the canceled reconstruction. However the public would face an even higher tax increase in 2012-13.

Napolitano said that she felt under that plan the voter was being put “behind the eight ball” next year, explaining that she posed the questions about the candidate’ plans “so that people understand down the road, its not just a quick fix for now... its a matter of what you want and what you can afford. You can’t just look at what happened in September, you have to start looking already at what happens the following September.”

Assistant Superintendent of Finance Jack Waters estimated that under such a plan the levy would be between 6.5 to 7 percent range for 2012-13.

“I would say it would be a logistical nightmare in two months to reverse the last four months,” Dr. Nagler said, estimating that the district had already spent $320,000 to date on renovations to the high school in preparation for the eighth grade move. An additional $50,000 was estimated to be expended through moving expenses and boxes for a total of $375,000 though the end of fiscal year in June.

“The plan that she described was discussed,” Nagler said after Levitan left the meeting, noting that it was the same as the first bond proposal, which residents voted down.

Manopella did not address the board or the public at the meeting.


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