Proposed 2022–23 school budget

The Great Neck Board of Education has adopted the proposed 2022–23 school budget in the amount of $261,432,690. This amount is a 3.66% increase over last year’s budget. The proposed tax levy increase is 2.57%, which is significantly below the tax cap limit of 3.36%.

The proposed budget will:

• Continue all programs at the elementary and secondary levels;
• Maintain small elementary class sizes, in accordance with Board guidelines;
• Introduce two guidance counselor positions at the elementary level, as mandated by the State, to monitor academic progress and increase support for students’ social and emotional well-being;
• Add one guidance counselor at each of the secondary schools to provide additional support for students and parents in relation to academic, career, and social development;
• Expand the District’s intensive needs program at the high school level to support a growing number of intensive needs students moving up through the middle school program;
• Provide ongoing professional development training for faculty and staff.

“As a school district, we go above and beyond to ensure that every student receives the services, academic programs, and social and emotional support to achieve their personal best,” says Superintendent Dr. Teresa Prendergast. “I thank the Board of Education for adopting this fiscally sound budget, which truly represents the needs of every single student.”

Increase in State Aid Offsets Tax Levy

Every February, the District publishes a preliminary budget that is continuously reviewed by administration and discussed during public budget presentations throughout March and April. On April 9, just days before the proposed 2022–23 school budget was finalized, the New York State legislature passed a state budget that provides more education funding for Great Neck than previously anticipated. This increase in state aid, along with a careful review of expenditures, allowed the District to lower the preliminary tax levy without compromising programs and services.

“This is a fiscally responsible budget for our top-rated schools,” says Board Vice President Donna Peirez. “We are making smart, student-centered investments where it matters most, such as maintaining small class sizes and adding additional guidance counselors to support our students.”

To balance the 2022–23 budget and offset the tax burden on residents, the District will appropriate over $14.6 in fund balance and reserves, which are unspent funds from prior years. This funding will help to cover contractual salary increases, hikes in health-insurance premiums, and other planned expenditures. The proposed budget also allocates nearly $1.5 million in additional state aid to offset the financial burden on taxpayers.

“We are ever-mindful of the difficult balancing act between maintaining Great Neck’s preeminent breadth of academic, programmatic, athletic, and artistic offerings for students of all ages and abilities; the safety and wellness of students and staff; as well as the felt impact of Nassau County property taxes on residents vested in Great Neck, particularly during this inflationary cycle,” explains Board President Rebecca Sassouni. “I believe this year’s proposed budget strikes this delicate balance.”

“Public school budgeting continues to be a challenge with unfunded mandates, record-breaking inflation, the remnants of a global pandemic, and a property tax assessment system that is being corrected over a number of years,” explains John Powell, assistant superintendent for business. “This budget is an efficient spending plan that addresses these issues and also enhances an already excellent, highly ranked education program that meets the needs of all students.”

New York State’s Property Tax Cap

Since the inception of the tax-cap legislation in 2012, Great Neck’s proposed tax rate increases have been at or below the State-mandated lax levy limit. The proposed tax levy increase of 2.57% is significantly below the 2022–23 tax levy limit of 3.36%.

Multiple factors affect the actual limit, including changes to the tax base, rate of inflation, payments in lieu of taxes, debt payments, capital project expenditures, transportation equipment purchases, and pension increases above a certain percentage.

Validation of Fiscal Practices

Great Neck is among a select few school districts in New York State to earn an AAA rating from Moody’s Investors Service. This rating means that the District’s financial obligations are judged by Moody’s to be of the highest quality and, therefore, subject to the lowest level of credit risk. In the annual, New York State-required external audit of the school district, the certified public accounting firm of Cullen & Danowski, LLP, reports favorably on Great Neck’s internal control system of checks and balances, and procedures that are supported by Board policies.

Substantial Services for Non-Public School Students

The District, in accordance with State law, allocates more than $7.5 million to provide services to private and non-public school students, including bus transportation, textbooks, health services, special education services, school library materials, and computer software loan programs.

Third-Lowest Class I Property Tax Rates

Great Neck’s 2021–22 school tax rate for single-family homes, or Class I properties, was the third-lowest of all the school districts in Nassau County.

Vote Information

The annual school budget vote will take place on Tuesday, May 17, 2022. Polls will be open from 7:00 a.m.–10:00 p.m. There are four polling locations for school district elections: E.M. Baker School, Lakeville School, Saddle Rock School, and South High School. Registered voters will only be permitted to cast a ballot at their assigned polling location.

Residents can check their assigned voting location using the Poll Place Finder on the District website at www.greatneck.k12.ny.us/voting. This information is also available by calling the District Clerk on school days between 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. at (516) 441-4020.

Great Neck appoints new assistant superintendent for business

At the Board of Education meeting on April 26, Board trustees voted unanimously to appoint John J. O’Keefe as the district’s new Assistant Superintendent for Business following the retirement of John T. Powell this summer. Mr. Powell previously announced his retirement, effective July 1, following 16 years of dedicated service to the Great Neck Public Schools.

Mr. O’Keefe comes to Great Neck from the Sachem Central School District, where he currently serves as Deputy Superintendent. His current job responsibilities include all aspects of budgeting and business operations, as well as overseeing transportation, food services, facilities, and instructional technology.

“I am greatly looking forward to becoming a member of the administrative team in the Great Neck Public Schools. It is truly humbling, and I certainly appreciate the trust that has been placed in me,” says Mr. O’Keefe. “I am honored to be joining this outstanding educational community.”

Mr. O’Keefe started in Sachem as the Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations in July 2016, and he was promoted to Deputy Superintendent just two years later. Prior to Sachem, his experience in school business and finance included two years as Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations in the West Hempstead Union Free School District, two years as School Business Administrator for the Sag Harbor Union Free School District, and three years as Director of Business Operations for the Cleary School for the Deaf. His career in public education follows 20 years of experience in operations management in the private sector.

Mr. O’Keefe earned an Executive Masters in Business Administration from St. Joseph’s College, a Masters in Educational Leadership from Long Island University-C.W. Post, and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management from St. Joseph’s College. He holds Advanced Certificates in School District Leadership and School District Business Leadership from LIU-C.W. Post. In 2013, he was the recipient of the School District Business Leader Award, presented by the New York State Association of School Business Officials.

Mr. O’Keefe was appointed by the Great Neck Board of Education following an extensive selection process, which included multiple rounds of interviews with a selection committee comprised of parents, faculty, staff, and administrators. “Our District prides itself on our intensive hiring practices, which ensure that only the most qualified candidates are selected to uphold our District’s tradition of excellence,” explains Dr. Teresa Prendergast, Superintendent of Schools.

“On behalf of the entire District, I’d like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for Mr. Powell’s many years of dedicated service to our school community, during which time our District has maintained a strong financial position and earned the highest ratings from Moody’s Investors Service,” praised Dr. Prendergast. “I am confident that Mr. O’Keefe will carry on Great Neck’s long-standing reputation for sound business operations.”

Great Neck students excel on national French exam

A total of 57 high school students from the Great Neck Public Schools have been recognized for their outstanding scores on the National French Exam (Le Grand Concours), Nassau County Level. This annual competition is sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French.

Winners are awarded platinum, gold, silver, bronze, or honorable mention based on their performance as compared to other students in the same grade and course level. Joanna Asvestas is the French teacher at North High, and Geraldine Finazzo is the French teacher at South High.

Level 2A

North High award winners: Katherine Zhao, platinum; Daliah Segal, silver; Nassoma Alberto, bronze. Honorable mention: Talia Elyaho, Valerie Lan, Maya Salim, and Rafaella Sarraf.

South High award winners: William Tsang, silver; Jolene Chang, silver; Jinah Kwak, silver; Marisa Lim, bronze; Adreen Hossain, bronze.

Level 3A

North High award winners: Kattie Huang, gold; Anna Beauchesne, silver; Ningfeng (Tony) Xiong, silver; Stephany Barbu, bronze. Honorable mention: Gabrielle Feder, Vian Hwang, Matthew Matalon, Brandon Tehrani, Brandon Torkian, and Xiongningfan (Benny) Wang.

South High award winners: Eleanor Gau, gold; Brian Liu, silver; Jared Korn, silver; Audrey Huang, bronze; Xinyi (Angela) Wu, bronze. Honorable mention: Helen Tang, Kairi Weisbrot, Joanne Lee, and Rachel An.

Level 4A

North High award winners: Ava Assaraf, gold; Yo-Jia Hu (Anjelica Wu) Tang, bronze. Honorable mention: Michaela Damaghi, Brielle Nassi, Joshua Schoenman, and Alex Zhuang.

South High award winners: Amber Sun, gold; Amy Susnea, silver; Amanda Roth, bronze; Sophia Liu, bronze; Samantha Zeltser, bronze; Kan Heng Lin, bronze; Joshua Rabbani, bronze; Brayden Chien, bronze. Honorable mention: Xinyi (Zoe) Zhang, Deena Weber, Thomas Lo, and Amanda Putter.

Level 5A

North High award winners: Natasha Khazzam, gold; Rudy Beauchesne, silver; Julia Huang, silver.

Level 5AP

South High award winners: David Feuer, platinum. Honorable mention: Emma Maliar, Alexander Voses, Ella Li, and Dana Siong Sin.

Tri-M chapter welcomes new members

North High School Chapter 2605 of the Tri-M Music Honor Society inducted 19 new members who demonstrate scholarship, musicianship, and leadership. Distinguished guests, administrators, music faculty, students, and parents gathered together on April 25 for the first in-person Tri-M induction ceremony since 2019.

The 2022 inductees to Tri-M Chapter 2605 are: Serena Askari, Stephany Barbu, Jack Brenner, Stanley Chan, Anna Goldman, Clara Goldman, Leila Hawa, Zachary Hyman, Justine Khadavi, Amitha Kumar, Hwi-On Lee, William Okin, Joshua Rafaeil, Tamas Smulovics, Daliah Segal, Shuyuan Julie Sun, Maverick Williams, Terra Wu, and Alex Zhuang.

Student officers of Chapter 2605 extended Honorary Lifetime Memberships to four individuals for their support and outstanding contributions to the school’s music programs: music booster parent Nancy Notar Francesco, music booster parent/North Middle teacher Patti Crisafulli, music booster parent Maria Margiloff, and Francine Greenberg of the Great Neck Music Conservatory.

The ceremony also included performances by violinist Tiantian Emily Wei; baritone Maverick Williams accompanied by teacher Dr. Pamela Levy on piano; and a duet by student teacher Raffi Froundjian on guitar with teacher Joseph Rutkowski on clarinet.

Distinguished guests, including Board President Rebecca Sassouni, Superintendent Dr. Teresa Prendergast, North High Principal Dr. Dan Holtzman, and North Middle Principal Dr. Gerald Cozine, congratulated the new inductees and thanked the music faculty for imparting a love of music to all their students.

At the conclusion of this year’s induction ceremony, Chapter 2605 faculty advisor/instrumental music teacher Joseph Rutkowski passed the advisorship on to Dr. Pamela Levy, fine and performing arts department chair/vocal music teacher, who will serve as the chapter advisor following Mr. Rutkowski’s retirement at the end of this school year.

North High School Chapter 2605 and North Middle Junior Chapter 5695 encourage participation in music programs and service to the Great Neck community through a variety of endeavors, including performances at local nursing homes, children’s hospitals, and seasonal events.

Chapter 2605 at North High boasts more than 25 years of outstanding service, including recognition as the National Association for Music Educators (NAfME) Chapter of the Year for the 2016–17 school year. The Chapter initiated several Skype sessions with students at the Afghanistan National Institute of Music (ANIM) in 2017, as well as weekly chamber music performances for the school community via Zoom throughout the pandemic.

The Tri-M Music Honor Society, a program of NAfME, recognizes students for their efforts and accomplishments in music on the basis of musicianship, scholarship, character, leadership, and service to their school and community. The organization’s high standards serve to challenge students to greater efforts and achievements and to encourage the pursuit of excellence.