The superintendent’s preliminary 2017-18 budget is at the allowable 2.02 percent tax levy cap and achieves:
• Nine-year average tax levy increase of 1.81 percent
• Nine-year average budgeted expense increase of 1.75 percent
The goal of the superintendent’s preliminary budget is to maintain and enhance the 4 A’s-Academics, Arts, Athletics and Activities. Highlights include:
• Offering all elementary sections within class size guidelines.
• Maintaining current class sizes in secondary school core instructional programs.
• Expanding the district’s middle school Project Lead the Way (PLTW)-STEM Initiative to the high school and the elementary schools. PLTW is an interdisciplinary program that requires students to adopt a design-thinking mindset through hands-on projects in science, technology, engineering, and math. PLTW fosters creative, collaborative problem-solving, critical and creative thinking, and perseverance.
• Providing additional high school academic opportunities: Project Lead the Way STEM “Introduction to Engineering Design”; ½ year science electives: Anatomy and Physiology, Marine Biology, Science of Natural Disasters and Criminalistics; in the Fine Arts: advanced level of study in Animation II and Digital Photography II; and in Physical Education, Project Adventure, a course based on active learning through cooperative and trust building activities.
• Expanding the 1:1 Chromebook initiative by purchasing by the start of the 2017-18 school year, 525 Chromebooks for the third, fourth, and fifth grades at Munsey Park and Shelter Rock. Current fifth graders will take their Chromebooks to sixth grade and current sixth graders will take their Chromebooks to seventh grade. Existing seventh grade ELA and social studies classroom Chromebooks will be redeployed to upper-grade Science classrooms.
• Implementing zSpace in collaboration with the Tower Foundation’s 2017 initiative at Munsey Park, Shelter Rock and the secondary school. zSpace is a 3-D technology that combines elements of virtual and augmented reality systems to create life-like experiences using all-in-one computers that support immersive and interactive academic experiences for students.
• Implementing kidOYO, an online platform that supports students’ learning of computer programming (coding) and engineering.
• Adding necessary and appropriate professional development to provide for training in curriculum initiatives: Project Lead the Way-STEM, Google Apps, Math in Focus, Writing Fundamentals, zSpace training, and kidOYO.
• Adding second grade to the elementary Homework Program.
• Providing for aides full-time in Kindergarten classrooms in September to facilitate the smooth transition to Kindergarten.
• Supporting student social, emotional and academic needs by adding a .6 FTE school psychologist at the secondary school.
• Continuing the current high school integrated co-teaching model with respective support classes to appropriately support all students as they encounter the increased rigor of the New York State Learning Standards in: English 9R, English 10R, English 11R, Global 9R, Global 10R, US History 11R, Grade 12 English and Social Studies, Earth Science, Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2.
• Continuing the current middle school integrated co-teaching model with respective support classes to better meet the rigors of the New York State Learning Standards—in English 7, English 8, Social Studies 7, Social Studies 8, Math 7, Math 8, Science 7 and Living Environment classrooms.
• Continuing the integrated co-teaching model at Munsey Park and Shelter Rock at all grade levels to reflect the model of a regular education teacher and special education teacher working together in each classroom which benefits all students enrolled in integrated co-teaching classes.
• Maintaining English as a New Language (ENL) teachers at the elementary level and adding a .3 FTE to ENL (total 2.3 FTE) at the secondary level, as mandated by the implementation Part 154 of the New York State Commissioner’s Regulations for all public school districts throughout New York State.
• Funding for three additional clubs at the secondary school and continuing the current level of club opportunities at the elementary schools.
• Providing additional assistant coaches where necessary to manage team size and continuing the current level of team offerings for the middle school, junior varsity and varsity.
—Submitted by
Manhasset Public School District
