BY JOHN NUGENT 

Before Nassau County ordered all schools closed for two weeks, Manhasset Superintendent of Schools Vincent Butera said last week that the district was planning to stay open despite the coronavirus threat.  

“This is a unique situation,” Butera said at the Board of Education meeting Thursday,  saying that after conversations with numerous officials, “we have not gotten clear guidelines on what it is we need to do.” 

Acknowledging the unanswered questions about the fast-moving crisis, Butera said, “The number one question I’ve gotten from community members is, are we going to close or are we going to stay open?”  

Butera continued, “Both opening and closing has a number of unintended consequences. Are our students safer in school or are our students better off being out of school?”  

Butera said, “Based on the information we have right now, we’ve made a decision to stay open.”  

The Manhasset school district closed for two weeks on Monday in accordance with Nassau County Executive Laura Curran’s order that schools be closed for that period. 

At the board meeting, Mark Doyle, speaking from the audience, challenged the superintendent’s claim of not having clear guidelines on what to do. Doyle called for closing the schools for at least two weeks to see what develops. In his opinion, many lives will be saved by closing the schools and “the interruption of two weeks wouldn’t be a great harm.”  

Jack Grygiel, the Manhasset senior class president, said, “There is a lot of panic in school.”  He added, “Much of the student population does not intend to come to school tomorrow.”  

Fellow students have said “I can’t learn right now.  I can’t focus,” said Sidney Ginsberg,  student representative to the school board.  She continued, “If we have to close, we’ll be OK; we’ll be better for it.”  

In other action, Butera presented the budget for the 2020-21 school year, stressing the importance of “engaging the community in the budget review process.”  

The proposed budget totals $101.4 million, an increase of 1.94% over the prior year.  

Property taxes will account for $91.6 million of the total, representing the maximum increase of 2.9% allowed under state law.  

Butera said that a major focus in the last budget was physical security. In the coming year more attention will be given to cybersecurity.   

In addition to strengthening selected areas of the curriculum, a few staff additions and some classroom upgrades, the new budget aims to mend aging infrastructure. “Many of the district buildings are old and in need of repair,” he said.  

Butera said that state aid will decrease by $250,000, state-mandated pension contributions will increase by $400,000, and health care costs are expected to decrease by $300,000.  

The budget vote will be held on May 19.