Friday, May 13, 2022
Vol. 99, No.27
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School budget goes to voters on May 17th
A THRILLING GAME
BY KASSARA MCELROY
A final budget hearing took focus during Garden City Board of Ed meeting on Tuesday, May 10th, followed by an update on the recently reviewed Foreign Language in the Elementary School (FLES) program. The night began with a deep dive into the proposed budget for next year from Dr. Kusum Sinha, Superintendent of Schools. The budget that will be on the ballot stands at $124,579,449, or a budget to budget increase of 1.80% or $2,197,962. The maximum allowable tax levy is 2.29%, and the proposal falls below that at a projected 1.25%. That means the district is not asking for as much taxpayer money as it is able to. The budget requires a majority vote for passage at Tuesday’s election, because it complies with the tax levy cap. A majority of the proposed budget (75.65%) is dedicated to program expenditures, followed by capital (12.84%) and administrative (11.51%) costs. It focuses on training and professional development, preparing students for the demands of college and citizenship, STEAM and technology upgrade investments and capital improvements focused on instruction spaces, special education services and diverse learners. See page 78
BoT evaluates costs of Plans move forward on firehouse St. Paul’s advertising
The Garden City High School Girls Varsity Lacrosse team suffered a disappointing 8-7 loss against Massapequa on Saturday, ending its regular season with a 10-3 record. See page 88.
BY RIKKI MASSAND
BY RIKKI MASSAND At its meeting on Thursday May 5, the Village Board of Trustees approved a $45,000 professional services proposal from Old Structures Engineering of New York City, “to provide engineering investigation and analysis, to determine and then design the feasible extent of alteration to the existing building
and the potential additions.” As the board reviewed its agenda, Administrator Ralph Suozzi noted that discussions from the April board meetings resulted in a round of submissions to the village, including the proposal from a firm that specializes in repurposing existing concrete and steel buildings. “Six companies were sent bids for the Firehouse and
four responded. The proposal by Old Structures was for $45,000 with a time for completion of 90 days; H2M proposed $76,300 with a 31-week time of completion; Cameron Engineering was $197,500 for a 46-week time to completion, and another was $96,500 with a 60-day time of completion. Old Structures represents a reliable company, a good
Discord hit the dais of the Garden City Village Board of Trustees on Thursday night May 6 as methods of communication about St. Paul’s were debated. Costs for a proposed “social media campaign” which would present updates on the work of the Mayor’s Committee on St. Paul’s was questioned by several board members. In addition, costs for an advertising campaign on St. Paul’s in the Garden City News were also discussed. Several board members asked for clarity about whether several recent advertisements run by the committee in the paper were advertising or free content. The committee plans to use several methods to present information
See page 79
See page 79
Comm. Club Guilded Age High Tea PAGES 64-65 GC Girl Scouts recognized at dinner PAGE 28