School board adopts next year’s budget

The Glen Cove Board of Education recently adopted its 2018-2019 proposed budget. The $68 million budget is almost 2 percent — or about $ 1.3 million — more than the budget for the current school year.

If voters approved it, $250,000 will be spent on capital projects related to improving school security, which parents and students alike have been pressuring the district to take more seriously in the wake of a school shooting in Florida.

Victoria Galante, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, said that the money would pay for hardening school building entrances, installing exterior strobe lights, and replacing old security cameras around the district’s buildings. But the new cameras will not enable the district to share its security camera feed with the police, a measure that was raised by several community members

These projects provide an immediate way for the school board to increase safety measures. “They want this stuff now,” Galante said, adding that “we can do all this over the summer.”

A more long-term solution will come as the result of a bond process, which she said is expected to come to a vote in October.

The district is letting a few elementary school teachers go due to a drop in enrollment. Summer sports and adult education will face similar rollbacks due to reduced interest.

On the other hand, occupational education will see a 16 percent increase from last year. Galante said that’s because the cap on the number of participants in the BOCES program, which provides children with training for careers beyond what a classroom education can offer, was lifted two years ago. About a dozen more students are now taking part in the program.

The district will invest more of its resources in STREAM — an interdisciplinary mix of science, technology, research, engineering, arts and math. It has allocated funding for an additional STREAM facilitator who will travel between classrooms to assist in lessons when needed.

Galante said that among the things that the school district has on its “wish list” for years to come is a director of human resources, which it has not had for over 10 years. It would also like to see funding to transition back to a 9-period school day, which would require taking on about 12 additional faculty.

The budget vote is on May 15.