I write to urge all my fellow residents who are eligible to vote to mark your calendars: May 16, 2017 is the date we will vote on the Great Neck Public Schools Annual Budget and Bond Referendum. The importance of each of these cannot be overstated.
The Annual Budget will ensure the smooth operation of all our terrific top-rated schools and programs.
The Bond Referendum will allow for low-interest rate borrowing to pay for necessary infrastructural upgrades to the district’s 18 buildings. (The new bond has been tailored down from the narrowly defeated bond in February. The total bond has been reduced by $17 million. The tax impact has similarly been reduced.) Please understand that the scale of the necessary projects is too large to be paid out of capital reserves or the operating budget. Bonds are widely used by our district and others for such projects.
For anyone who owns commercial or residential property in Great Neck, and/or cares about children to educate, the importance of supporting and maintaining the school district should be evident. Anyone with questions about the budget or the bond is encouraged to visit the district website at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us; call the Phipps Administration Building to speak to the Assistant Superintendent for Business John Powell at 516-441-4000; and attend Board of Education meetings. The line-by-line budget meetings are also open to the public.
There is still time to register to vote. For the next few weeks school events will also provide registration forms, which can readily be found at www.nassaucountyny.gov.
Democracy and liberty require constant vigilance. So let’s shake off our voter fatigue and/or complacency to please make sure to exercise our civic duty to vote on May 16. Vote Yes to our property values, our great schools and the next generation of American citizens.
—Rebecca Yousefzadeh Sassouni
