The Jericho School District has, once again, earned recognition for academic excellence. The March 15 edition of Newsday, listed Jericho as a Long Island District of Distinction. In Jericho's class of 2000, 46 percent of seniors were designated as AP scholars, one of the highest percentages on Long Island and an impressive 85 percent of all seniors earned Regents diplomas.

On April 5, the National Honor Society inducted 70 new members. Students must have a Grade Point Average of at least 3.6 and be evaluated for character, service and leadership for entrance into the society. An amazing 35 percent of the junior class and 40 percent of the senior class are members.

Last year's student test results for the fourth and eighth grade New York State Assessments far surpassed the state norms. This data serves to confirm the high quality of instruction available to all students in the classrooms.

On Tuesday, May 15 qualified Jericho School District residents will be eligible to vote on the 2001-2002 proposed school budget. Voting will take place in the Jericho High School gymnasium between the hours of noon and 10 p.m. In addition, two board of education seats, the library budget and a transportation proposition will be on the ballot.

After seriously considering input from numerous members of the community during a series of four open budget workshops, the board of education has adopted a proposed school budget of $59,312,175. This represents an average tax rate of $49.151 per $100 of assessed valuation, a 2.6 percent ($1.056) increase over the 2000-2001 tax rate.

"The board of education has worked diligently to balance our community's commitment to educational excellence with fiscal responsibility," said board President Hilari Cohen. "Substantial population growth over the past few years and changing curriculum requirements, mandated by new national and state standards, continue to have a significant impact on all areas of the budget. We have, as always, prioritized our instructional program which accounts for 62.9 percent of total expenditures."

Accommodating the ever-increasing student population continues to be a serious challenge for the district. "Funds for an additional 11.2 classroom teachers, eight part-time tutors and 12 instructional aides, necessary because of growth and new assessments, have been incorporated into the proposed budget," stated board Vice-President Toni Meliambro. "We have heard repeated requests from community members and staff, during a series of district goals workshops, to expand the pupil personnel program. In order to more adequately support the psycho-emotional needs of our youngsters, two additional guidance counselors are needed, one at the middle school and one at the high school. Finally, the increased size of our facilities will necessitate additional support and custodial staff for sufficient maintenance of our buildings. An additional 0.5 librarian staff will be hired to provide expanded library hours at the middle/high school. Heating and electrical costs will also increase." "Additions at the middle/high school complex, financed by the bond approved two years ago, are nearing completion," reported Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman. "Construction of an additional 29 classrooms, nine science labs, a new gymnasium and an all-weather track has been completed. Our expanded library facility will be finished this summer. These facilities will provide adequate space to ensure continuing excellence of our educational program in Jericho. Also included in the bond were funds to update our elementary schools. This included an expanded driveway, additional parking facilities and an American Disabilities Act (ADA) required an elevator to provide equal accessibility for all students at the Cantiague Elementary School, a new roof and boiler at the Robert Seaman Elementary School and updated auditorium seating at the George Jackson Elementary School."

There are a number of instructional pieces that the board feels will provide an increased breadth and depth to the academic program. "Our Foreign Language Program will commence in kindergarten next year, a reflection of research that shows students learn all languages more easily at a younger age," board trustee Barbara Krieger said. "The Jericho district will continue to expand the Languages Other Than English Program over the next few years until a comprehensive K-12 curriculum is in place."

"New high school courses will be added for the coming school year. They will include a more structured Independent Research Program, a Forensic Science course and Advanced Placement Computer Science," added board trustee Ira Checkla. "Each of these courses reflects our continuing effort to adapt curriculum offerings to best meet the needs of our students, the educational process and society. In addition, an expansion of interscholastic teams and co-curricular activities will adequately support our growing population."

"The middle school will be offering students new exploratory electives in the areas of oceanography and marine science and journalism," continued board Vice-President Toni Meliambro. "In addition, the seventh and eighth grade health and art curriculum are being reconfigured to provide a continuum of instruction throughout the middle school years. The health component is one of many changes made to better support the social-emotional growth of our students."

An increase in instructional materials is also being included in the budget at this time. "Additional textbook purchases, especially in the area of mathematics and science, are critical at this time," stated board Trustee Barbara Krieger. "We must provide students with appropriate materials, both in classrooms and our libraries, in order to meet changing curriculum requirements that are mandated by national and state standards. The district has held off on these purchases until now in order to sufficiently evaluate the new assessments before choosing texts."

New state regulations regarding services for ESL (English as a Second Language) students will account for significant expenditures in the proposed budget this year. "The New York State Education Department requires considerable services for all beginning ESL students," explained board trustee Ira Checkla. "It is necessary to provide all students in grades K-12 with mandates ESL support."

Supporting students with special needs also continues to affect the budget. "The district strides to provide essential academic support to our children with disabilities," emphasized board Vice-President Toni Meliambro. "The New York State Education Department is requiring that these students meet the same rigorous requirements for a Regents diploma as all other students. Our district will continue to help all youngsters achieve their maximum potential."

There are two seats open on the board of education this year. One seat is for a three-year term and a second seat is for a one-year term. Toni Meliambro, the current board vice-president, is completing her first three-year term and will be seeking re-election. Saundra Gumerove-Bernstein and Jeffrey Falk are both first-time candidates. Members of the community will have an opportunity to learn more about each of the candidates during "Meet the Candidate Night" on Tuesday evening, May 8 in the Jericho High School Little Theater at 8:15 p.m. This is an "at large" election. The candidate with the most votes will fill the three-year term beginning July 1, 2001. The candidate with the next highest number of votes will immediately begin the one-year term to fill the unexpired term vacated by Robert C. Goldsmith.

Complete copies of the proposed 2001-2002 Jericho School District budget are available in the Central Administration Office location at 99 Cedar Swamp Road. References copies are available for inspection at all district schools and the Jericho Public Library. Please contact the Office of the superintendent of schools at 681-4100 extension 201 with any questions. For information or questions regarding registration, voting and absentee ballots, please call 681-4100, extension 214.

Summary of Proposed 2001-2002 School Budget

Estimated Expenses			Amount		% of Total
Instruction					$37,340,975		62.9
Debt Service/Employee Benefits	$10,421,610		17.6
Buildings & Grounds			$4,786,900		8.1
Pupil Transportation			$3,826,200		6.4
Central Services				$2,416,590		4.1
Capital Building Improvements		$400,000		0.7
Community Services			$119,900		0.2
Totals						$59,312,175		100

The following petition was accepted by the board of education on March 2, 2001: "Be it resolved that the Board of Education be authorized to increase the amount of funds in the proposed budget for 2001-2002 to include an additional expenditure for pupil transportation in the sum of $245,460 for the purpose of providing transportation for all pupils in grades K-5 between their homes and the schools they legally attend. It is further resolved that said amount shall be added to the budget of said school district for the year 2001-2002 to be raised by the levy of a tax upon the taxable property within the School District to be collected as provided by law."

"Members of the community submitted a petition to the board, which, if passed by voters, would provide full busing to students in grades K-5," said Jericho Board President Hilari Cohen. "The board of education is required by law to place the proposition on the ballot for the May 15, 2001 election."

The additional cost of this proposition would be 24.50 cents per $100 of assessed value, which translates to approximately $24,50 per year for an average household assessed at $10,000. Voting on the transportation proposition will take place on May 15 from noon until 10 p.m. in the high school gym as part of the Budget Vote and School Board Election.