High school board OK with cuts

After some intense debate among trustees on the Valley Stream Central High School District Board of Education on whether to restore some of Superintendent Dr. Marc Bernstein’s proposed $1.4 million in cuts in the 2010-11 budget, the board voted 5-4 to keep the reductions. The tentative plan contains a 2.99 percent tax levy increase and a spending increase of less than one percent.

Trustees Anthony Iadevaio and Cristobal Stewart both said they wanted to restore special education cuts, which would eliminate 2.5 teaching positions, and remove special education teachers from ninth and 10th grade English inclusion classes, as well as from ninth grade social studies. The teachers would be replaced those with teacher’s assistants. “I think to take away from special education — and they need the most help — I just don’t believe in it,” Iadevaio said. “I’d hate to cut into areas that are most needed.”

He added that if special education cuts were restored it would add more than $300,000 to the budget.

Trustee Elise Antonelli asked to preserve the two part-time social workers, which if restored, would add another $85,000 to the budget, while Trustee Ian Wraith wanted to restore the four hall monitor positions. Wraith added that with a growing drug problem among teenagers, the district can’t risk cutting monitors. “I feel we need as many eyes in the hallways as possible,” Wraith said.

Wraith also spoke out against cuts to the recreation program, which would reduce the number of days schools run the program from 30 days to 20. He said it is a good way to keep kids off the streets. In all, the four trustees looked to restore nearly $500,000 in cuts, which would bring the tax levy increase to 3.61 percent and increase the budget by 1.29 percent. “I don’t think that’s a bad tax levy,” Iadevaio said. “I know the direction was to stay under 3 percent, but I’d hate to make cuts that affect kids.”