Manhasset residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, May 21, to vote on the 2002-2003 Manhasset Public Schools budget and to vote for one trustee. Incumbent Thomas Maimone is running unopposed for that seat. The vote will be held from 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Manhasset High School Gymnasium. At its April 18 meeting, Manhasset's five-member board of education unanimously adopted the proposed budget for the coming school year. The budget totals $58,009,149, an increase of $3,698,729 or 6.81 percent over the current school year. In a period when residents are expecting an increase to their taxes due to reassessment and an increase in Nassau County taxes, this seems like a fairly high increase but it must be taken in context. Although the tragedy of September 11 has been blamed for such an increase, it is not immediately apparent what the relationship is. According to Janet McCauley, Manhasset's assistant superintendent for business, New York State aid to school districts cut almost $500,000 to Manhasset for the upcoming school year. Insurance companies have also passed along the rise in health insurance costs. Investment opportunities have declined and, as a result, retirement benefits have declined. At the same time, energy costs have risen.

Added to this, and unrelated to September 11, is the fact that Manhasset will see a 3.3% enrollment increase this year. The district had been averaging 2.4% annual increase.

In attempting to keep the increase as low as possible, the district will not be buying any buses this year. In February the district froze discretionary spending in areas such as travel conferences and overtime. The district is canceling programs that are "under-subscribed." This means classes of fewer than 12 students. In the past, these classes have usually consisted of students who wished to extend a sequence, such as a fourth year of a foreign language.

One area of special concern is that of special education, where expenditures outpace regular education increases three to one. The district is under federal and state mandates in special education but the Manhasset School District goes beyond the mandates. It aims for early intervention, which is seen to end up saving money later on in the child's educational career. Ms. McCauley points out that if a district cannot provide for the mandated needs of a student, that student must be a sent to a special school outside of the district where those needs can be met. This can cost up to $60,00 for one student.

The Manhasset Public Schools Citizens Advisory Committee on School Finance unanimously endorsed the school budget, but in an unusually strong worded commentary, advised prudence in the future. Its report said, in part: "The committee recognizes that there is a fine balance between fiscal prudence and the district's educational objectives. As parents of school-age children and/or long-standing members of the community, we support the mission of the Manhasset Public Schools 'to develop all learners into exceptionally capable citizens, functioning at their highest intellectual abilities.' We ask that in going forward discretion be applied in the face of fiscal adversity and that an appropriate system of checks and balances be implemented; the objective being to reap greater efficiencies and achieve optimization of resources on an ongoing and enduring basis."