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Friday, February 27, 2015
vol. 64, no. 9
N E W H Y D E PA R K
Home&Design guide to
February 27, 2015
SINGAS SEEKS REVIEW OF SEX OFFENDER PAGE 6
‘PERSON OF INTEREST’ 2015 GUIDE TO IN STATION ROBBERIES HOME & DESIGN PAGE 2
sewanhaka board blasts Gov. cuomo
PAGEs 29-40
a blank slate
media / litm or
publications special section
This TRuck is oN FiRE
Superintendent unveils $178 million budget proposal for next fiscal year BY JA M ES G A L L O W AY Sewanhaka Central High School District unveiled a tentative $178 million budget for fiscal year 2015-16 on Tuesday, while also passing a strong rebuke of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to withhold state aid figures. The Board of Education unanimously passed a resolution imploring Cuomo to immediately release state aid projections for Sewanhaka. Along with the resolution, the board will send a letter with a similar message. The governor has said he will not release aid figures unless the state Legislature agrees to enact a series of proposed education reforms, including a more stringent teacher evaluation system based in part on standardized test scores. “Regardless of what you may or may not think about Gov. Cuomo’s reform agenda, the idea of holding school aid hostage to
a political agenda is to be so abhorrent,” school board President David Fowler said. “It’s really very disturbing that we are in effect budgeting blind at this point.” As a placeholder until the district receives state aid projections, the district assumed state aid in 2015-16 equal to 2014-15, about $29.2 million, to develop a tentative budget. The Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department’s companies 2 and 5 put out a truck fire “We’ve done the best we can in that took place on Sunday. terms of the information we have today,” Ferrie said. “I’ve been doing this a long time. This is the first time I ever had to put a budget together without a state aid figure from the governor.” Despite that, the budget presentation spelled good news for district: No additional cuts to staffing or programs will be necessary in 2015-16, according to school decisions at a work session rent programming. BY JA M ES officials. But staffing costs add Monday such as whether to G A L L O W AY “That’s the first time I’ve been replace retiring teachers and up, and the board of educaable to say that since I’ve been Due to a restricting tax where to deviate from the dis- tion needs to cut more than here,” Ferrie said. “Too many peo$400,000 from its proposed cap and annual wage increases trict’s three-year plan. Continued on Page 56 Unlike many school dis- budget in its current form to New Hyde Park-Garden City Park School District is forced to tricts, NHP-GCP weathered the stay beneath the tax levy. Most are not service cuts make some difficult decisions financial downturn without per say, but rather a delay in laying off any teachers. for its 2015-16 budget. For 2015-16, it will once planned additions Though the budget proThe board has already cut posal is still fluid and far from again avoid layoffs and mainContinued on Page 52 finalized, the board weighed tain most, if not all, of its cur-
NHP-GCP board debates how to stay below tax cap
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