Friday, May 4, 2018
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THE PULSE OF THE PENINSULA
Vol. 93, No. 18
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GUIDE TO MOTHER’S DAY
NORTHWELL BUYS ASTORIA HQ
CUOMO TOUTS KAPLAN SENATE BID
PAGES 33-40
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PAGE 6
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North Shore school spending varies widely
MEETING OF THE MINDS
Great Neck stands out in overall budget, cost per pupil, other items BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN Nine North Shore school districts with a combined population of 37,384 students plan to spend $1.1 billion in the coming school year, amounting to about $29,493 per pupil – with some districts spending nearly 50 percent more per student than others. While the districts are only a few miles apart, disparities nearing $12,000 per student exist. Three districts – East Williston, Great Neck and Roslyn – each spend more than $34,000 per student, while the New Hyde Park-Garden City Park and Sewanhaka school districts spend $22,951 and $23,631 per student respectively. These numbers were calculated by dividing the total budget by the number of students. According to the state Department of Education, the average cost per pupil in New York for the 201617 school year was $23,361, which is based on dividing total expenditures
by the number of students. “Total expenditures include district expenditures for classroom instruction, as well as expenditures for transportation, debt service, community service and district-wide administration that are not included in the Instructional Expenditure values for General Education and Special Education,” according to the department’s website. Officials at the Great Neck Public Schools previously debated the value of analyzing the budget by dividing expenditures by the number of pupils, saying it is an “inaccurate figure” due to a number of other figures in the budget having “nothing to do with our K-12 program” like adult education programs, pre-kindergarten, maintaining buildings and providing money to private schools. “You can’t just take the budget and divide it by the enrollment because you have to take out operational revenues that come in that reduce the expenditures [for students],” John Powell, the assistant superinContinued on Page 57
PHOTO COURTESY OF TEMPLE EMANUEL
Nick Akerman, who once served on the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, addresses attendees at Temple Emanuel in Great Neck as NY1’s Errol Louis looks on. See photos on page 58.
Brickman Estate carries storied past, unclear future BY JA N E LL E CL AUSEN
ily disputes. But for author Liz Mathewson, who chronicled the esOver its centuries of exis- tate’s history and scope to tence, the Brickman Estate at members of the Great Neck The Point – or Hewlett Point Historical Society and the pub– was reportedly a subject of lic last week, it was not only a sale by the Matinecock, the home, but also a place of woninspiration for “The Great der and significant history. Showcasing photos of the Gatsby” and the center of fam-
estate on a projector, Mathewson took attendees on a tour throughout the 20-acre estate, highlighting its nine residential buildings, architecture, views of Long Island Sound and flora. She also noted the estate’s significance as the home to Continued on Page 69
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