District Mulls Electives Cuts

The Glen Cove Board of Education discussed possible remedies Monday for the 2013-14 budget shortfall and lagging student interest in staple math and science electives, with trustees expressing concern over implications for college preparedness.

"There is no way that we should be cutting anything math, science, English, foreign language AP," said Trustee Ida McQuair. She was responding to a list of courses showing low enrollment interest from students. The list included a range of courses varying from narrow descriptions like video game programming to solid college-track classes like AP calculus.

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The list was generated by Glen Cove High School's guidance department based on choices made by students, leading some to question whether students should have so many options as they work toward applying to colleges.

"I think what's concerning me with this is that we see it's driven by the numbers and it's student-centered, and yet having it be student-centered and not having environmental science, AP calculus, computer classes -- it's not working to be student-centered then," said Trustee Barrie Dratch. 

Board President Joel Sunshine suggested the district consider pooling students into a smaller number of electives, such as offering studio art instead of drawing and painting, ceramics and other specific disciplines.

Sunshine, a strong supporter of the district's arts programs, said he would make a recommendation that the Fine Arts Committee make a presentation to the Board on courses offered and possible solutions.

Superintendent Joseph Laria assured the Board no electives would be "stood down" without the Board's approval, and said the direction will be to limit the list of offerings to a selective group.

Sunshine urged careful deliberation in the decision-making process.

"When these classes go away, they may never come back," he said.

McQuair cited a need for the Board to take a more solid direction in identifying what is valued.

"We're all over the place. We're not focused," she said.

The discussion shifted to the budge shortfall, with a rollover budget not realistic in light of the state's two percent tax levy cap, which Sunshine and Laria demeaned as a political and "Draconian" piece of legislation that misleads voters into thinking the district is being held to increasing the levy no more than two percent.

If the Board were to raise the levy to the 3.1 percent actually allowed in order to retain programs, public ire would focus on the Board rather than the politicians who wrote that extra room into the legislation, they complained. 

Laria called the cap "educationally unsound," and noted that it is only in effect for its second year. He warned of its implications, reiterating a point he has made often about districts becoming insolvent within five years.

"We will preside over the dismantling of products and services," he said.

As for the 2013-14 school year, Glen Cove High School Principal Joseph Hinton reported that to maintain core programs, there is little to no room for cuts to staffing, which accounts for the greatest expense district-wide.

Laria said it was clear staff reductions will not come from the high school, and "only as a last resort do we want to touch elementary school class sizes," so the cuts necessary to bring the $3 million budget to somewhere between $2.1 and $2.7 million, depending on state aid received, will have to be found somewhere in between.

Laria noted that in the eyes of the state, Glen Cove is a high-income, high-property value district in large part due to a small number of very wealthy residents skewing the combined wealth ratio and hurting the district when it asks for funds.

"Those outliers are killing us," said Sunshine.