Manhasset Board of Education President Patricia Aitken faces opposition in an at-large election next month.

Aitken, who was first elected to the board in 2005,squares off against challenger Ted Post in the at-large election May 16. Immediate efforts to reach the candidates for comment were unavailing.

Aitken was named president of the board in 2019, succeeding former trustee Regina Rule, who served in the role for six years. Aitken, during the 2020 election against district resident Evan Mandery, discussed how the coronavirus pandemic had impacted the school district and helped guide Manhasset through the pandemic.

District residents will also be voting on Manhasset’s budget, which has not been adopted. Officials most recently presented a $107.7 million budget for the 2023-24 school year, a 3% increase from the current budget, which does not exceed the allowed 2.97% tax levy increase. 

The tentative budget increased by more than $3 million, while the tax levy grew from $94.3 million in 2022 to $97.1 million this year, according to officials. The driving forces of the budget’s growth include a $1.8 million total increase in benefits, a $620,000 increase in compensation and a $681,000 increase in all other budget items.

The tentative budget also includes $5.2 million in state aid, an increase of $150,000 from last year. The district, according to Superintendent Gaurav Passi, will allocate $724,000 in anticipated revenue received this year and allocated for the 2023-24 tax levy.

Passi said the 2023-24 tentative budget is “under stress” due to the rising cost of health insurance and other items, so the district is unable to transfer $125,000 to its repair reserve like it did last year. The repair reserve, Passi said, has more than $400,000 allocated to handle any “unanticipated repair issues that fall outside of the typical repair maintenance projects.”

Other budget items that mainly contribute to the increase include a $310,000 investment in the district’s special education program, a $270,000 increase in the district’s information technology department, a $93,000 increase toward facility enhancements and $63,000 for curriculum and instruction.