As an educator, this has always been the most exciting time of the year for me. The classrooms and hallways may be empty, but at the end of the summer, there is always a buzz of anticipation for the first day of school. Administrators closely re-examine details integral to the successful start of the new school year. Faculty members finalize their daily course schedules and take great care to decorate their classrooms. Athletic coaches, eager to start the regular season, fine-tune their playbooks. And our students make final preparations before returning to our schools.

Gearing up to welcome back Manhasset's students and staff from what was hopefully a peaceful and restful summer, further draws our attention to the challenges that lie before us - continuously improving student achievement, successfully completing contract negotiations with our teachers, optimizing prudent fiscal management, facing increasing student enrollment and examining transportation alternatives, among others.

Over the past several years, we have been able to improve student achievement in a variety of areas. Just this past year, 100 percent of our students enrolled in French 3-1 and Spanish 3-1 passed the Regents exam, while 99 percent of our Math A Regents students passed the exam and 98 percent of our students passed the Secondary English Language Arts Regents exam. While we are pleased with these results, our work is far from complete. As we look to build a culture of continuous improvement among our students, we must examine and modify our techniques and strategies to ensure that the district's teaching methodology also demonstrates continuous improvement.

Along with maintaining a sound academic environment, we are dedicated to emphasizing fiscally prudent management of the community's resources. Under the leadership of the board of education, the district is taking steps to restore the community's confidence in its spending practices. Newly formed school board committees - audit and finance - will lend support and direction to the administration on fiscal matters. Financial procedures and additional fiscal checks and balances are being enhanced. And while the 2004-2005 school year has yet to begin, the budgetary process for the 2005-2006 school year will commence shortly. We are determined to create a budget that meets the academic demands of our students at a cost that is acceptable to Manhasset's residents.

How will we meet these challenges? Through a well-organized and comprehensive set of goals established by the Board of Education and Central Administration. This promises to be one of the most challenging years in the history of the Manhasset School District, but I am confidant that working together, we can meet these challenges. Following for your review, are our goals for the 2004-2005 school year as well as some expected outcomes for each of our goals.

The board of education, administrators, teachers and support staff of the Manhasset Public Schools join me in extending a personal welcome to all students, parents and community members as we begin the new school year on Thursday, September 2, 2004.

Lawrence E. Bozzomo

Superintendent of Manhasset Public Schools

Implement a Curriculum Cycle Review/Spotlight Year Research for Gifted Education, Health Education and Gifted Education

• Investigate best practices

• Conduct focus groups and/or surveys as appropriate

• Identify effective general education classroom practices

• Develop/implement re-engineered Dimensions Program for elementary grades

• Develop model for Dimensions and Middle School G/T Program, if appropriate

• Connect activities to CDEP, PDP, AIS and other initiatives as appropriate

• Present findings, conclusions, recommendations to academic council, cabinet and board of education

Develop an educational framework for interscholastic athletic programs

• Identify educational goals of a quality athletic program

• Ensure equal opportunities are provided for male and female student athletes

• Identify best practices for developing competence in athletics and for promoting citizenship

• Develop code of conduct for coaches

• Identify program values, rules, polices and expectations for all stakeholders

• Evaluate current program and make recommendations to cabinet, superintendent and board of education

Pilot Development of College/Articulation Agreements that enables high school students with advanced standing to take challenging courses at colleges or other institutions of learning

• Survey comparator districts, our students and our parents

• Work with colleges to identify appropriate courses and develop cooperative agreements

• Identify on-line opportunities

• Identify budget, staff and resources required for such a program

• Develop a plan to present to cabinet, superintendent and board of education for possible implementation in 2005-06

Assess impact of class restriction on student schedules

• Determine the savings, if any, that were realized with the limited 8-period day

• Determine the programs that were affected: i.e. the music program

• Make recommendations for continuation, discontinuation/modification

Reconfigure the Secondary Facility to provide greater physical separation of middle and high schools

• Survey current classroom usage and traffic patterns

• Work with stakeholder groups to identify possible alternatives

• Conduct engineering/architecture reviews, as appropriate

• Identify cost, time and scheduling implications

• Develop implementation plan for 2005-06, if board approval is secured

Negotiate New MESPA Agreement

• Complete contract analysis

• Along with chief negotiator, establish board of education workshop to set expectations for negotiations

• Support chief negotiator by providing necessary information and logistical support

• Exam the possibilities of outsourcing part or all of our transportation

• Determine with the chief negotiator if any aspects of collective bargaining would be appropriate for using the mutual gains approach with the transportation department

• Communicate with cabinet, board of education and larger community as appropriate

Prepare for MASA Contract

• Discuss with Chief Negotiator which, if any, aspects of the collective bargaining agreement would be appropriate for using the mutual gains approach

• Begin contract analysis

• Review with chief negotiator, board of education and cabinet "Key Results Areas" agreement to determine if our model needs to be adjusted

• Establish areas of desired change with board of education and cabinet

Assignment and Tracking of Secondary Teacher Load Levels to promote scheduling efficiency

• Develop database that provides accurate, real time information concerning class rosters

• Develop procedure for determining mean and modal class sizes

• Establish protocols for sectioning process

• Implement procedures that ensure equitable teachers loads for 05-06 schedule

• Provide summary data to Academic Council, Cabinet, Superintendent and Board of Education

Develop Mentoring program for New Teachers (NYS mandate)

• This new program will be included as a component of our district's professional development plan

• The program will be developed consistent with Article XIV of the Civil Service Law (Taylor Law)

• Administrators and MEA representatives will develop a mentoring program that will increase the retention of new teachers and improve their ability to assist students in achievements consistent with the State Learning Standards and assure quality instruction for students of first year teachers

• Components and expectations of the program will be outlined an defined

• Program will include a record keeping system to address and outline names and teacher certification of mentees their mentors, the number of hours of mentoring each new teacher received and mentoring activities

• Training program for mentors will be developed and identified along with modes of compensation/recognition

Administrative Training of New Personnel

• Develop process/program for training new administrators that will be shared with cabinet and board of education

• Establish an administrative team to identify areas such as goal setting, compression planning, delegation, follow-through and communication, that would be addressed in the training

• Identify and establish training session schedule

• Discuss with MASA leadership the possibility of initiating mentoring relationships within the unit

Develop Budget Allocating for Certain Sport Trips to coordinate transportation expenses with interscholastic programs

• Determine the number of trips associated with each sport

• Associate costs with each sport

• Establish separate budget codes as needed

• Share results with Educational Framework Committee

• Determine a fair budget allocation for each sport based on need and other criteria established by athletic director and advisory committee

• Implement new board-approved allocations for 2005-06 fiscal year.

Long Range Facilities Projects

• Reconvene Advisory Committee for Facilities

• Review current proposed projects in long-range plan

• Consider newly proposed projects

• Modify grand prioritization table

• Develop a recommended annual budget appropriate for maintenance projects

• Review current bond project for input and suggestions

• Seek and gain board of education approval for recommendation

Develop a Three-year Technology Plan to meet E-Rate and NCLB Requirements

• Review current Technology Plan with E-Rate Central and Technology Advisory Committee

• Collect relevant budgetary information

• Update and overhaul plan to reflect current/future MUFSD Technology goals

• Involve key stakeholders in identifying above

• Write a draft plan and submit it to E-Rate Central

• Incorporate feedback into final plan; submit in spring 2005

• Seek and gain board of education approval of recommendations

Computerize Food Service Program with point of sale system and potential integration with student ID program

• Appoint a consultant to assess systems for the best match

• Coordinate systems with eSchoolData for compatibility

• Coordinate system with architects for possible building security system

• Assess potential for student ID program with administration

• Meet with students groups to gain their input and cooperation

• Present recommendations to the board of education and seek approval

• Implement approved recommendations for the 2005-06 school year

Dealing With Increasing Elementary Enrollment

• Survey other school districts for ideas to increase student capacity

• Solicit suggestions for ideas from architect and construction consultant

• Meet with MEA to solicit ideas

• Talk and meet with SED facilities professionals for ideas and suggestions

• Meet with CAC for Finance for ideas and suggestions

• Meet with superintendent's Facilities Advisory Committee for ideas

• Study the impact of temporary classroom space using portables

• Make recommendations to the board of education

• Implement approved recommendations

Five-Year Cost Model

• Update the five-year model concurrently

• Replace starting year with actual 2004-05 budget

• Update salary lines based on proposed settlements

• Update transportation lines based on contracting

• Reevaluate benefit assumptions

• Recalculate debt service assuming no bond issue

• Regenerate cost model

• Seek CAC for Finance input

• Present model to board of education for refinement

• Finalize model by October 30, 2004

Explore Possible Transportation Outsourcing

• Convert the transportation operation into partial or full contracting for the 2005-2006 school year

• Hire consulting firm to facilitate process

• Negotiate with MESPA on union issues

• Establish committee for CAC for community input

• Develop service requirements and specifications

• Hold community hearings with consultant and Board of Education

• Develop request for proposals document. The RFP should include the possibility of changing the Munsey Park starting/ending times to coincide with Shelter Rock's.

• Conduct legal bid for transportation

• Conduct public relations campaign to inform community of contracting for 2005-06 year

• Make recommendations to board of education

• Implement recommendations in time to be factored into 2005-06 budget.

• Forensic examination of finances

• Develop financial procedures and appropriate fiscal checks and balances

• Improve budget preparation process

• Provide support for newly formed school board committees (i.e. Audit and Finance)

• Conduct second demographic study with community committee