Following the proposed budget defeat in May, the majority of the Mineola Board of Education agreed to adopt a contingency budget. However, in order to do so, the board had to cut $1.8 million from its proposed budget. The budget-to-budget increase would be reduced from 5.98 percent to 3.24 percent over the 2004-2005 budget.

At Thursday's board of education meeting, the board and the superintendent of schools discussed where the $1.8 million in cuts would come from. While the district prided itself on being able to reduce expenses in the last few years without impacting programs, it appears these cuts that were required for a contingency budget will affect programs.

Among some of the cuts were:

* Adult education will be self-funded meaning those who want to take part in adult education will have to pay for it. (Savings $57,320)

* Driver's education will be self-funded. (Savings $60,000)

* Summer school - Students must pay for high school/middle school academic summer school programs. (Savings $101,115)

* Music summer school program will be self-funded. (Savings $18,080)

* Athletic summer school program will be self-funded (Savings $53,180)

* Reducing evening security and three members of the security staff. (Savings $30,000)

* For athletics, cutting K-12 intramurals. (Savings $42,000)

* Cutting middle school sports "B" teams. (Savings $28,000)

* Reducing athletic trainer/attendant. (Savings $20,000)

* A 28 percent reduction in stipends for K-12 clubs. (Savings $73,993)

* The high school fall play will be self-funded. (Savings $5,532)

* Outward Bound will be self-funded. (Savings $28,000)

* Reduce extra teaching position. (Savings $75,000)

* Four full-time equivalent 12-month bus drivers will be 10-month. (Savings $40,000)

* No public and private late buses. (Savings $25,000)

* No midday pre-kindergarten bus runs. (Savings $75,000)

* Transportation for band camp would be self-funded as the cost would be added to the tuition. (Savings $7,000)

* Site-base would not be funded. (Savings $8,400)

* The superintendent will not take his 4 percent raise he is entitled to under contract. Instead, he will take 2 percent. (Savings $4,492)

* The superintendent will not accept meeting/conference and travel expenses. (Savings $4,965)

* Central office administrative staff will contribute 20 percent toward their health and dental plans and central office confidential clerical staff will contribute 15 percent. (Savings $17,339)

In adopting the contingency budget, board members RoseAnn Buglione, Donna Strein and Mary Ellen Williams voted for it while trustees John McGrath and Steve Siwinski voted against it. McGrath said he was deeply disturbed that the cuts were being made without going before the public with another budget. "We did not give the community the opportunity to say yes to an adjusted budget that would have been less harmful. For instance we could have trimmed an additional $900,000 and kept summer school, intramural sports, as well as the summer music and sports programs," McGrath said.

Siwinksi did not want to vote for the contingency budget since they contained the cuts and he was concerned about the children. However, he later said he did not want to slight any of his fellow board members and did not want to suggest they were in favor of the cuts or were not for the children.

The board members who voted in favor of the contingency budget did so because they wanted to respect the voice of the public and the public said no to the original budget by voting it down.

Prior to discussing the contingency budget, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Lorenzo Licopoli read a statement in which he made recommendations to the board of education. The recommendations include forming a school-community communications bridging committee to improve the quality of district communications and perception of the school district; expand the district finance committee and form a subcommittee among qualified community people for the purpose of constructing a zero based budget development process for the 2006-2007 school year; conducting a forensic audit of all district accounts by an independent auditor with no affiliation to the district.

A forensic audit could cost the district $100,000.

In addition, for the 2005-2006 school year, Dr. Licopoli announced that all central office confidential clerical staff would contribute 15 percent toward their health and dental plans and all central office administrative staff would contribute 20 percent toward their health and dental plans. Dr Licopoli also said he will not accept a performance increase that is in his contract and he will reduce his contractual increase from 4 percent to 2 percent. He also stated he would assume all of his professional development, conferences, travel and meal expenses.

The superintendent also addressed a letter that appeared in the June 1 issue of the Mineola American. The letter "Is Mineola School Budget Really Transparent?" stated the superintendent's contract provides him with a $500 a month car allowance in addition to his base salary, annuity and additional benefits. In response, Dr. Licopoli said he does not receive an allowance for transportation since that provision was removed last year.