Mineola’s Board of Education used the first April board meeting to adopt its proposed budget for next month’s election and honor stand-out science, technology, art and athletic students.
The district began the meeting by honoring finalist teams in a women’s science competition held by The Institute for Advanced Computational Science at Stonybrook University in honor of the International Day of Women and Girls.
“Stoney Brook chose 12 finalist teams. Mineola represented four,” STEAM teacher Lisa Richards said. She called each girl up by name to present them with honors to an enthusiastic audience of parents and teachers.
An array of other student awards were presented, including those to middle-school robotics students in the FIRST Lego League robot building competition, art students selected for the All County Art Exhibit, a senior scholarship art award, two students who received special recognitions in the New York Art Teacher’s Association Flag design contest and one middle schooler who placed first in the statewide contest.
The district also honored award-winning athletes from the winter athletic season.
Athletes from the girls’ and boys’ basketball team, girls’ bowling, girls’ and boys’ indoor track and field and boys’ wrestling won a variety of awards, including county championships, state attendees and all county recognitions.
After the awards ceremony, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, Will Herman, provided an overview of their proposed budget, which he initially presented to the community last month. The budget is a total of $112,197,493 budget, a number that is 2.41% more than this year’s $109,552,352 budget.
Herman said the budget will be partially funded by a 2.08% tax levy increase, an amount exactly equal to the district’s state-imposed tax cap. According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $37,981.54 per student.
Some notable budget lines include $578,000 for equipment, which includes new high school classroom furniture and new middle school cafeteria furniture and football and lacrosse lockers, $717,000 for facilities, which includes replacement of the high school’s auditorium air conditioning, staff bathroom renovation at Meadow Drive School, and a ventilator and air conditioner at Willis Avenue School and a $1,600,000 transfer to the capital fund for a new middle school cafeteria, Herman said.
Under the budget, voters will find a proposition to approve the transfer of up to $4 million from the district’s 2022 capital reserve fund to finance improvements to the middle school’s auditorium roof system, baseball field, and entry area to the school’s art rooms, which are in need of repair. Currently, the fund holds about $6.4 million.
The ballot will also include an opportunity to vote for one open seat on the district’s board, currently held by Vice President Cheryl Lampasona, who has announced her intent to run. The deadline for all other candidates to file is April 21.
Voters will be able to cast a ballot May 20 at the district’s Synergy Building, which sits across the street from the high school. Prior to Election Day, voters can hear more about the budget at the April 23 budget presentation and the May 8 budget hearing, where the board will make a presentation on the equipment and capital portions and personnel, benefits and insurance portions of the budget.
