District Budget Headlines North Bellmore BOE Meeting

The upcoming school budget and a new program implemented in the district to curb bullying and promote togetherness were the highlights of last Thursday's North Bellmore Board of Education meeting.

During the report of superintendent, Arnold Goldstein gave an update as to the status of this year's district budget.

"It's still a work in progress," he said. "I don't have any specifics to share with you, but we do want to invite you to attend one of the Budget Workshops we're holding. There's two -- Thursday, March 24, at Martin Avenue School at 8 p.m. and the other is Thursday, April 7, at Saw Mill at 8 p.m. So we hope that you will be there."

However, Goldstein pointed out that the budget discussions will be colored by the fact that financial cuts have been forced upon the district by Andrew Cuomo when the governor announced his state budget earlier this month.

"As you know the governor has proposed a budget that will cut aid to Long Island schools by 11 percent ... that's the biggest drop ever," he said. "That represents for us $1,170,324, which is about two-and-a-half percent of our total budget."

Goldstein said that flexibility during contract negotiations with teachers in an effort to counter the effects of state aid cuts have managed to save taxpayers some money, but despite these savings, operating costs for the district continue to go up.

"There's the retirement system, the cost of supplies, employee contracts, health care, bussing, maintenance, and on and on," he said. "Very few payments go down, and most go up."

However, Goldstein said that the district is doing everything in its power to roll with the punches.

"We're in relatively decent shape ... better than other districts, but the budget will be tight," he said. "We also have money in our fund balance, and that’s our savings. We have four percent, just as the state recommends. If we use all of it this year, as the governor has suggested, your taxes will be very low this year. But the truth is, that's a one-time fix, and unless the world ends this year, you have a budget again next year, and we'll have nothing left. So we have to find other options."

Goldstein also addressed the proposed two percent school tax cap and remained hopeful that education in North Bellmore would maintain the same quality despite the financial hurdles.

"We're going to be looking at every option that is open to maintain the quality of instruction at the lowest cost to the taxpayer, and to stay within the cap," he said. "Our main goal is not to hurt the children."

On a more lighthearted note, children from Jacob Gunther Elementary gave a presentation on the new "Peace Wheel" program being used at the district's schools to promote harmony and effective conflict resolution among classmates.

Marie Testa, principal of Jacob Gunther, explained the concept behind the Peace Wheel.

"You do not have to be friends with everyone, and you may not agree with another's point of view," she said, "but what we're teaching our youngsters is to work respectfully to work out a conflict, which is a skill that's very difficult for children to learn."

To that end, a segmented Peace Wheel has been painted on the blacktop of the playground of each elementary school in the district. Each segment of the wheel, divided up like slices of a pizza pie, contains a buzzword essential for resolving conflicts in a calm, productive manner, such as "Share," "Wait and Cool Off," and "Apologize."

"They're working on cooperating with one another, respect for rules, taking turns, negotiation, and it's a little microcosm of what happens in society, in real life," Testa added.

Afterwards, the gathered Jacob Gunther students took to the stage to explain each of the Peace Wheel concepts, one by one, to those in attendance.

Also, district architect John Grillo gave an update on the overall maintenance of the schools, including district-wide door and hardware replacement, as well as refurbishing all ventilation units in the classrooms. Also, the boilers at Martin Avenue, Saw Mill Road, and Park Avenue schools will be replaced.

"We're going to do as much of the work as possible during nights and weekends, so as not to bother the students," Grillo said. "And the bulk of the work will take place over the summer."

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the North Bellmore Board of Education is on Thursday, March 10, at 8 p.m.