On Tuesday, June 3 qualified Jericho School District residents will be eligible to vote on the 2003-2004 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 and the proposed Jericho Public Library Budget will be on the ballot. The candidates will be featured in next week's edition of the Syosset-Jericho Tribune. After in-depth analysis and serious consideration of input from members of the community during a series of four open budget workshops, the Jericho Board of Education unanimously adopted the proposed 2003-2004 school district budget at the March 13 Board of Education meeting. The $70,524,489 budget represents a 6.89 percent increase over last year's budgeted expenditures. The budget increase will result in a 7.37 percent increase in the tax levy. "Together our administration and Board of Education have worked diligently to prepare a budget with minimal increases," explained Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman. "The majority of the increase in this year's budget is the result of contractual obligations and mandatory employee benefit increases. We have held the line on many expenditures because we are acutely aware of the potential impact that the county reassessments will have on our residential tax rate."

This year residents throughout Nassau County are being confronted with an unexpected increase in the residential tax rate. Residential property values have appreciated at a substantial rate while the appreciation rate for other classes of properties, including businesses and utilities, has been much less significant. This shift in property values translates to an increase in the tax burden borne by residential homeowners. Unlike years past, the district will not be able to project any changes in the tax rate. The reassessment and changes in proportions of taxes paid by each of the tax classes prevents us from estimating the residential tax rate at this time.

"We have made every effort to provide a budget that will preserve the high quality of education that all of our residents have come to expect while maintaining our obligation to be fiscally responsible," emphasized School Board President Hilari Cohen. "I believe that we have achieved that delicate balance with the proposed budget, and therefore feel comfortable in presenting this budget to our community."

All schools have developed and implemented ongoing activities that focus on respect for diversity, tolerance, shared responsibility, caring, trust, and effective communication. Programs and activities may include effective decision-making, character building, community service learning, conflict resolution and peer mediation.

Next year, the elementary schools will be implementing two new programs that support these goals. The Peaceful Playground Program is a comprehensive approach to organizing the playground. Staff, teacher, and student training; modifications to school equipment and facilities; development of supervision policies; and parent and administrator support result in an atmosphere that is safe and peaceful. After a successful pilot of the program, Peaceful Playgrounds will be fully operational next year.

A K-5 peer mediation program will complement ongoing character and health education curricula. The basic program will consist of student mediators who will be wearing hats on the playground. In teams of two, they will watch for developing conflicts and offer their help in resolving them. Specific guidelines and training will be provided to staff and students.

In an evolving effort to design a comprehensive program that supports academic excellence and personal development, the recent implementation of Student Team Advisors reflects the middle school's goal to provide essential support for all students. "Student Team Advisors facilitate communication, serve as child advocates, and coordinate team activities" explained Board Trustee Ira Checkla. "As team liaisons, Student Team Advisors communicate on a daily basis with team teachers, encore teachers, guidance counselors, support staff, administrators, and parents in order to effectively meet the needs of the whole middle school child."

As the college admission process becomes increasingly competitive, the middle and high school guidance departments are continually looking at ways to help Jericho students maintain a competitive edge. "Curriculum at the middle and high school is being assessed and modified to address changing SAT requirements," added Board Vice-President Toni Meliambro. "SAT prep classes, a program to prepare for the college interview process, and a formal effort to develop improved relationships with the nation's most prestigious colleges and universities will continue to expand in the coming year. In addition, a college fair for students with disabilities and financial planning workshops for parents of middle school students will supplement ongoing efforts to provide comprehensive support for our college-bound students."

Federal and state regulations regarding services for ELL (English Language Learners) students continue to account for significant expenditures in the proposed budget. "The U.S. Office of Education and the New York State Education Department require considerable services for all beginning ELL students," said Board Trustee Saundra Gumerove-Bernstein. "It is necessary to provide all English language learners in grades K-12 with this mandated ELL support."

Supporting students with special needs also continues to have a substantial impact on the budget. "The district strives to provide essential academic support to all of our children, including those with a variety of disabilities," commented Board Trustee Barbara Krieger. "The New York State Education Department requires that these students meet the same rigorous requirements for a Regents diploma as all other students. The fact that 93 percent of the 2002 graduating class received a Regents diploma is a clear indication that our tax dollars used to support every student are being wisely spent."

Technology Update

Increased home-school communication is critical to the education of all of our students. In the next year, a major goal in the technology arena will be to facilitate this communication. This will manifest itself in a number of ways, including:

-Design, purchase, and implementation of a thin client server for home use. This will allow students and teachers to access the district network from home. They will be able to access their workspace as well as district licensed applications.

-Introduction of E-mail lists to communicate with parents. Parents will have the opportunity to sign up for numerous e-mail lists to keep them informed about school events as diverse as emergency closings, sporting events and district press releases.

-Upgrade and increased use of the Website for school-home communication. The past year has seen a dramatic increase of timely postings to the Website, including school closings, school lunch calendars, Board of Education minutes and agendas, and student work.

-Increased Internet bandwidth to support the increased use of the Internet during school hours and the anticipated increase in access to our network from the outside during after school hours.

-Upgrade of library automation system that will provide students with increased access to full text on-line databases.

-Introduction of a new student record management system that will allow teachers to access records.

Only persons who are qualified voters as of June 3 shall be permitted to vote in the election held on June 3 on matters affecting the Jericho School District and the Jericho Public Library. A qualified voter is defined as: a citizen of the United States who is 18 years of age or over; a resident in the Jericho Union Free School District for 30 days or more preceding the meeting at which he/she offers to vote.

Persons disqualified from voting under the provisions of Section 5-106 of the Election Law are not eligible to vote in school district elections. New voters will be asked to provide proof of residency and age.

For Further Information complete copies of the proposed 2003-2004 Jericho School District budget are available in the Central Administration Office, at 99 Cedar Swamp Road. Reference copies are available for inspection at all district schools and the Jericho Public Library. Please do not hesitate to 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.