At the last meeting of the New Hyde Park/Garden City Park School Board Lori Carrick was appointed as district treasurer and was sworn in by the attorney for the district, Richard Nicolello.

Art students were given certificates for their participation in the Nassau County Student Art Exhibition.

School Board President Patricia Rudd reminded residents that the school board election will be held on May 20 in the Manor Oaks School gym, 1950 Hillside Avenue, New Hyde Park from 6 to 9 p.m.

At that time the residents will be voting for the re-election of school board trustee Patricia Rudd, who is running unopposed and for Alan Cooper who is running unopposed, as a trustee candidate, to replace trustee Robert Nugent.

The incumbent Hillside Library trustee Ruth D. Bauer will also be on the ballot and she is being opposed by Sabera Saadullah.

Further, the district will also be voting for the New Hyde Park/Garden City Park School budget which amounts to $30,590,790 with a budget to budget increase of 3.44 percent with a proposed tax levy increase of only 1.24 percent due to the additional aid provided by the state to the district.

Residents of the Hillside Library will vote on a budget of $2,648, 135 over last year's budget of $2,475,475, a difference of $172,660. which amounts to a budget-to-budget increase of 6.97 percent. The Illustrated News was unable to obtain the tax levy for the library since no one on the Hillside Library Board was able to make themselves available for comment.

Sewanhaka Central High School, includes New Hyde Park Memorial High School, will have a budget-to-budget increase of 4.8 percent increase with a tax levy increase of 2.8 percent.

Trustee Ernest Gentile reported on the various meetings that have been taking place throughout the community on the LIRR Track Expansion project. He pointed out that any properties that were eliminated would be a loss of revenue to the school district and that the community should be aware that this project affects the entire area of New Hyde Park. Trustee Annette Giarratani reported that she attended a meeting at the Town of North Hempstead to promote the schools in the town as "green schools." Superindendent Dr. Regina Cohn said that the Director of Facilities, James Saitta, attended the meeting as well and the district will be working with the town in an expanded recycling project. Trustee Joseph Bongiorno said that he attended the Odyssey Fair exhibit and it was outstanding. He pointed out the many things the students learn in the Odyssey Program. Trustee Giarratani mentioned the idea of a closed campus, which would only affect high school students. President Rudd said it was discussed when she went to the Albany convention and it was decided that if it were mandated to close campuses it would then cost the taxpayers more money. However, each school district will come up with its own regulations on the topic.

Superintendent Cohn announced that the monies for a Universal Pre-Kindergarten program have increased from $37,800 to $148,500. Therefore 50 children in the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park District will be eligible to attend next year.

The district will hold a lottery and forms will be sent to all residents by the second week of May and responses indicating interest will be due by the end of May. A lottery will then be held based on the population in each of the four schools. Further, Dr. Cohn is asking for one representative from each school to be present when the lottery takes place.

Trustee Giarratani questioned personnel appointments, especially the childbearing leave of an ESL teacher to return on Oct. 31. Since she is not leaving until June 9 she is entitled to 12 weeks leave and there will be a substitute hired for the months of September and October.

It was also explained that the emergency conditional substitute teacher was simply to add to the pool of substitutes.

Giarratani also questioned the hiring of a 12-month clerk typist for the facilities and transportation department. Further, she also questioned the hiring of a Special Education Classroom aide and it was explained that the aide was being hired for a special child in that classroom.

The following policies were adopted, but only after some were questioned by Giarratani. Regular Board Meetings, Unlawful Possession of a Weapon Upon School Grounds, Professional Development Opportunities, Transportation Program, Professional Growth/Staff Development, Negotiations, Theft of Services or Property.

The policy on Emergency Closing was held over to add to the policy the fact that the district now has Connect Ed, an automated phone service, which will be activated when emergency closings are announced.

A recommendation for After-School Care Program with YMCA was approved, but only after Giarratani wanted to know the feedback on the program from parents. Dr. Cohn said the feedback was that the parents sign their children year after year for this program and she said, "That speaks for itself."

Giarratani added, "At the end of the school year it would be nice for the board to have some feedback from the parents on this program and on the Universal Pre-K Program."

Trustee Robert Nugent, who used the After-School program, had nothing but glowing comments about it and how well organized it is. So the motion was passed.

Request for the bands to participate in the Memorial Day Parade was passed, but trustee Gentile wanted to know who makes the decision what band marches and in what parade. Dr. Cohn said it was basically decided on by the music teachers who are in charge of the bands.

Donations were listed as: HealthSmart Donation, Garden City Park Civic Association, Target Donations .

There was a sentence added to the Confidential Employee Memoranda Agreement that addressed an employee having to serve on jury duty.

Merrilee Daly was appointed as a volunteer in the Community Volunteers for Education Program.

There was a discussion of why the district participates in the Textbook Central Agreement. It was explained that books may be purchased at a better price if they are purchased under this agreement. They are purchased for children who live in the district, but who attend non-public schools.

Giarratani questioned a 15 percent service fee based on the number of students involved.

Assistant Superintendent for Business Michael Frank said that it is a cost saving agreement because not only is it cheaper but it saves time, if it was done "in house" it would require someone to order and expedite the books for those students.

The board approved the agreement for the Interim Director of Pupil Personnel Services, for school physical, for architect John Grillo and for an attorney agreement for the EXCEL Project.

The board ended its meeting and the next board meeting will be held on May 12 at 7:30 p.m. at the Manor Oaks school.

Request for schools bands to participate in parades was approved.