Schools
Citizen’s Advisory Committee For Legislative Affairs
CACLA’s series of articles have examined unfunded mandates and out of the many affecting public school districts, we went into detail on: Pension Benefits, Special Education, Wicks Law, the Tax Cap and the Super Majority Vote. As previously discussed, the burden of funding mandates rests with the local public school tax levy, i.e., the taxpayer.
Public school districts have to fund programs that are required by law, either within the state mandated levy cap, or by a 60 percent super majority approval of the budget. The puzzle? How does a school district stay within a cap while, in Manhasset’s case, state aid has declined and the cost of providing employee benefits has grown exponentially? All of this while providing robust educational programs for a student population that has showed steady increases over the past 12 years.
Letter: CACF Supports 2013-2014 School Budget
The Citizens Advisory Committee on Finance (CACF) unanimously supports the adopted Manhasset School District Budget of $89,296,198 for the 2013-2014 school year. The budget represents an increase of $2,226,774 (or 2.56 percent) over the prior year. Over the past five years, the average annual increase in the budget has been 2.13 percent.
Employee compensation and benefits total $68,371,042 (or 77 percent) of the total budget. All other expenses combined account for 23 percent of the total budget. The largest factors in the increased expenses were an $854,636 increase in pension contributions to the New York State Retirement System, a $682,893 increase in healthcare and other employee benefit expenses and a $1,134,792 increase in employee compensation, which by themselves would have increased the year-over-year budget by $2,672,321 (or 120 percent of the total budget increase). The net impact of all other budget line items was a decrease of $445,547.
Students Shadow Senator
Students from area high schools had an up close and personal look at a day in the life of a New York State Senator when the students shadowed Senator Jack M. Martins for a day in Albany.
As part of a program, Students Inside Albany, run by the League of Women Voters, students head up to Albany to shadow a member of the State Legislature in order to immerse themselves in the study of government, enhancing their academic experiences they learned at home. The students get a first-hand look at how public policy is proposed and enacted in New York State.
Manhasset Assists Into The Woods Production
The Manhasset High School Theatre Department has reached out to the Scholars’ Academy in Rockaway Beach, Queens to help with their upcoming performance of Into The Woods as it was hit hard by Hurricane Sandy. The auditorium was flooded with nearly five feet of water, and the drama department lost all of its stored costumes and props.
Manhasset Youth Council’s Summer S.H.O.P. Program
The Manhasset Youth Council, an agency of the Manhasset Community Fund, has organized seven exciting day-trips and an overnight trip to Hershey Park as part of its Summer S.H.O.P. program. Anthony Blyskal, S.H.O.P. director, has announced a schedule that starts on Tuesday, June 25 and ends on Tuesday, July 23. All trips are via air-conditioned, video equipped coach buses. The trips are as follows:
Matilda the Musical (Broadway) – Tuesday, June 25 - $150
Monster Boat Thrill Ride/ Grimaldi’s Pizza/ Brooklyn Bridge and more. – Thursday, June 27 - $95
More Articles...
Page 1 of 7
<< Start < Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next > End >>
