School News

District 13 budget boosts math support

Part-time specialist added in tax-cap compliant budget

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When voters in District 13 head to the polls on May 20, they will decide on a $45.8 million spending plan that keeps programs in tact for next year, and makes a few enhancements.

The budget, which was adopted by the Board of Education on March 25, increases spending by 2.58 percent. The tax levy would rise by 2.6 percent, which is the allowable limit under the tax cap.

Superintendent Dr. Adrienne Robb-Fund said although some perceive the cap as a 2 percent limit, District 13 was allowed a higher increase based on calculations in its tax-cap formula. “We want to be sure that the taxpayers of District 13 recognize that we are within our tax levy limit,” she said. “We are not piercing.”

The average homeowner would see their elementary tax bill rise by about $90 next year, or 25 cents a day, according to Meredith Brosnan, the assistant superintendent for business. She said those figures could change as the district gets updated assessment information.

The district would be adding a part-time math specialist, which will cost about $42,500 with salary and benefits. The position was not in the budget when it was presented to the public in February. But since then, the school districts won a lawsuit with Nassau County over who will pay refunds for successful assessment challenges. Now that the responsibility stays with the county, District 13 can use the $150,000 it was going to budget for tax refunds payments elsewhere.

Robb-Fund said the first priority was to add the math specialist. She said it is undetermined which schools the person will be assigned to, but it will be “where the needs are greatest.”

Robb-Fund added that administrators and board members recognized the need to provide additional support for students in math, especially in light of the raised expectations from the Common Core standards.

“I was very happy that we were able to put that in the budget,” Board of Education President Sean Douglas said of the position.

Christine O’Toole, vice president of the Wheeler Avenue School PTA, had previously expressed her support for more math support. “I’m very excited about it,” she said. “With the new curriculum, the math is a little harder.”

O’Toole said that Wheeler is District 13’s largest elementary school with about 600 students and it has just one math specialist, so she hopes that the person will at least spend some of their time there.

The rest of the money that would have gone to tax refunds will now be used for various capital projects, which will be determined by the Board of Education at a later date.

Some projects already included in the budget are new exit doors at the James A. Dever, Wheeler Avenue and Willow Road schools, repaving the blacktop area at Willow, a handicapped accessible ramp at Howell Road, and replacing the fixtures in one bathroom at each school. Money would also be set aside to replace the seats in the Wheeler auditorium, a project that would be funded over multiple budget cycles.

Also included in the budget is the addition of a third special education class for students with autism. There will be three fewer general education classes next year across the district because of projected enrollment decreases, however no teachers will be laid off due to several retirements, which were approved last week.

Robb-Fund added that she believes the spending proposal is a sound budget that preserves programs for students, as well as class size levels.

“We feel that the budget is responsible to both the children and the community,” Douglas said. “I’m hoping that everything goes well and it passes.”