Managing school classes is one of the hardest jobs an adult can manage. There must be a constant supervision of students entering classes and constant change in class funds. However, imagine a school with an insufcient amount of extracurricular activities, a scant amount of sports teams, cuts to the performing arts department, and the ring of teachers the district could no longer manage to pay. Imagine the fear of having pieces of the school roof collapse over your head each morning when you walk into North High. This was the path GNPS was heading to after the numerous, failed budget votes of the past. However, this is now an alternative universe, because the recently passed bond and budget just saved the Great Neck Public Schools from catastrophe. With this year’s budget vote being the largest and most critical budget vote GNPS has ever experienced, the school district now has the money and staff directory to complete required projects throughout the district. The budget was heavily advertised this year, in order for its importance to be displayed to and for the community. Videos were posted on the GNPS website and Facebook page, labeled #GNPSEducationalExcellence. Not only were there videos saturating Facebook, but the school district also attempted to attract voters at Baker elementary school by hosting a party, which included a DJ. Meanwhile, South High School was busy served cupcakes to incoming voters.
Despite the previous failure to pass the orignal bond, the Great Neck community has proven how it revolves around the faculty and staff of each school – and more importantly, the students. In a press statement by Barbara Berkowitz, she exclaimed, “A heartfelt “thank you” to all the members of our community who worked tirelessly for weeks to secure the passage of the Bond and the annual operating Budget. “You were well organized, focused, and diligent about getting out the true message that both the Bond and the Budget are vital to maintaining the important structural and educational workings of the school district. Now, we can all get back to our primary responsibilities, which are the education of our students and the oversight of the governance of our district. So while we can not thank you each individually, please know that we thank you collectively for your steadfast belief that these affirmative votes would be in the best interests of our entire community.”
Not only is this vital budget going to be utilized to maintain special area programs and extracurricular activities, but this budget will also be utilized to maintain physical components of each building. Some of these renovations are critical, including a renovation of North High’s roof, which has not been repaired in the last 50 years. These renovations also include new doors in every school, a new auditorium at Saddle Rock Elementary, and the removal of the little theater in North High. According to GNPS, they have made plans to turn North High’s little theater into a conference room. Although, a crucial question to be asking is how this will change the daily activities of North High. This change in demographics means bake sales must be relocated and students may have no location to dispose of their bags when leaving the school for lunch during periods five to seven. There is still the matter of payment for more than renovations. The school district funds the private schools of Great Neck, including expenses for nursing, textbooks and other crucial resources. For the 1,600 students in Great Neck that attend private schools, the school district covers all payments for transportation, providing those students with free transportation within a range of 15 miles.The ‘landscape-changing’ budget also allows for smaller classes and the continuation of extracurricular activities and even more recreational activities, including a K-12 self-defense program. With state aid only being about 3%, the total cost GNPS must commission is $223,311,165. In order to meet the required demands, GNPS must receive a revenue of $24,746,318, according to the GNPS Revised Preliminary Document. This holds no exception towards the funds for private school students, which includes a revenue of another $4,000,000. This election was more than a budget vote, but also a vote to replace two new trustees. The trustees that are being replaced are Mr. Lawrence Gross, vice president of the GNPS Board of Education, and Ms. Susan Healy. Meanwhile, for Healy’s seat, Rebecca Sassouni became the only candidate, and the elected candidate. Also an avid supporter of the GNPS school system, Sassouni currently has multiple children in North High School. She has also been in the school PTA of both North High School and the Temple Israel Religious School for many years. The budget vote on May 16 clearly benefitted Great Neck for years to come. Tensions were high, and most people probably received a red pamphlet stating 5 reasons as to why not to vote for the budget. To add to this, most of the families that only attend the Yeshiva and other private schools K-12 were strongly against the budget due to the increase of taxes. Still, despite the growing taxes, and the fact Great Neck is rated 58 out of 62 for class-1 tax rates in Great Neck, the property value of houses will increase, students will gain a world class education and most importantly, Great Neck will become a better community for everyone. “This election brought out some rather heated exchanges,” said Barbara Berkowitz, President of the GNPS Board of Education, “and we will now need to seek ideas and ways to work to bring our community together again. In 1858, Abraham Lincoln said, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ We can and we must again become ONE community, and we will do so, because we’re Great Neck, and this communal appreciation of one another is what makes us GREAT!”