Resident of the Mineola School District will vote next week on whether to approve the proposed 2001-2002 school budget that reflects a 9 percent increase over last year's budget.

The total 2001-2002 proposed school budget amounts to $57,488,644 whereas last year's amounted to $52,728,117, a difference of $4,760,527.

Out of the $57,488,644, $48,723,644 will be raised by taxes. The average tax rate for the 2001-2002 proposed budget is 59.92 per $100 of assessed valuation, an increase of $3.88 per $100 of assessed valuation over the 2000-2001 budget. An average homeowner whose home is assessed at $6,500 can, therefore, expect an increase of $252.20 per year, not including any tax relief to senior citizens.

While the 2001-2002 proposed budget calls for an increase of $3.88 per $100 of assessed valuation, the 2000-2001 budget called for only a $2.86 increase per $100 of assessed valuation over the previous year's budget, the second lowest increase in Nassau County last year.

The Mineola Board of Education purposely made every effort to keep the budget increase to a minimum since residents passed a $25.7 million bond referendum last June.

This year, the board believes it still made a concerted effort to keep the tax increase to a minimum considering that capital improvement projects that were not part of the bond referendum still need to be done. In addition, this budget as well as future budgets attempt to support the successful 2000 bond referendum.

Assistant Superintendent for Research, Planning and Development Dr. Ari-Zev Anolic said there are some items that didn't get addressed over the years because the district tried to bring low budget before the voters.

Historically, because the district attempted to keep budget increases as a minimum, funds for capital projects as well as technology were often cut. However, there was still a need for these improvements so a few years ago the district put a $38 million bond before the voters. That bond was rejected.

The district then came out with a $25.7 million bond referendum last year, which did pass. In order to keep the cost of the bond in line with a survey the district sent home to residents, certain capital improvement projects were taken out.

Some of the improvements incorporated in the 2001-2002 proposed budget include windows for the Meadow Drive School. The board feels the school is in desperate need of windows. The Meadow Drive windows were a part of the $38 million bond referendum that failed. Now, the district plans to do the Meadow Drive in phases. The cost of the total project is estimated to be between $450,000 and $500,000. The board, therefore, allocated $250,000 in the proposed 2001-2002 budget for phase one of the windows.

At Mineola High School, other projects need to be done such as the roof, which will be completed by the bond, windows, science labs, the renovation of a technology wing and the renovation of the library.

The 2001-2002 budget will focus on improving the high school library, which has become outdated. "It's laid out in a way that just doesn't accommodate what we're trying to do now," said Dr. Anolic.

The district feels updating the high school library is critical since, at the end of next year, the building will be wired to form a network and the district will be moving to block scheduling, which provides for longer class periods. Students will have more time to conduct research and more time to access the library. Once the building is wired and, if the budget passes, the district envisions the high school library as being a center for which students can access information a multitude of ways and find the best sources available for various research projects. "You can't do that if you're crammed into a little place," said Dr. Anolic.

Although the high school is still in need of windows and science labs, the district prioritized its needs and incorporated a library improvement project at the high school into the 2001-2002 budget.

The board included these capital projects since the 2001-2002 budget will not be impacted by last year's successful bond. The first payment of the $25.7 million bond referendum isn't due until July 2002, which will be part of the 2002-2003 school budget.

The board chose to complete capital improvement projects such as phase one of the windows at the Meadow Drive School, the renovation and expansion of the high library and the installation of a fire safety system at the Jackson Avenue School before the public is impacted with the repayment of the bond.

"These needs aren't going away so the board took this grace year with the bond issue, I felt that this is our opportunity to get this work done," said Assistant Superintendent for Business John Jackson.

The 2001-2002 budget also calls for the purchase of four new buses and 5.6 new professional positions that mainly deal with special education. There is also special repair work in the 2001-2002 budget that wasn't in the 2000-2001 budget because, as Jackson said, knowing the bond was going to be put before voters last year, the board didn't want to overburden the taxpayers. Examples of district-wide repair work includes floor tile replacement, drop ceilings, radiator covers, remodeling some of the bathrooms, and fencing. The board put in $200,000 in the budget for these types of improvements.

In addition, the proposed budget supports the last year's bond in the area of technology. "We made a commitment to the district that in order to get this district where it needs to be as far as competing with other Nassau County school districts in the upper echelon, we needed to make a move in technology," Mr. Jackson said.

The 2001-2002 budget is the first in a five-year plan, which will align the budget with the successful bond. In the area of technology, the major impact on the 2001-2002 budget is the telecommunications services from the Wide Area Network (WAN), which is an ongoing expense. The expense amounts to approximately $180,000 a year for high-speed access over the fiber optic network from building to building.

Although the board usually makes a concerted effort to keep the tax rate increase under $3, the 2001-2002 budget, which reflects a $3.88 increase, includes projects the district deems necessary to complete before the budget is impacted by the repayment of the bond.

The vote will take place on Tuesday May 15 at the elementary school in the attendance area where you live (Cross Street, Hampton Street, Jackson Avenue or Meadow Drive).

The board of education has set up a hot line to answer questions concerning the budget. Call John Jackson at 741-4565 during the week of May 7 from 9 a.m. to noon with any questions you wish answered.