Great Neck North High School
Great Neck Public Schools
The Great Neck Public Schools Board of Education voted Wednesday night to opt out of the state’s regionalization plan, which would create and foster multi-district collaboration for varied programs and services.
Superintendent Kenneth Bossert said the vote was based on the district’s belief that the program would not be beneficial for the Great Neck school district.
Bossert said a letter will explain this to the state Department of Education and be sent Thursday.
“Every communication that we have sent out, whether it is to the community or to New York State, we believe reflects the voices that were shared both here and in those email communications,” Board of Education President Grant Toch said.
Toch said the board received more than 225 emails from constituents regarding regionalization, ranging from concerns to thanks to the board of education.
The board voted unanimously to opt out, excluding Trustees Rebecca Sassouni and Joanne Chan who were not present for the vote.
Bossert said the district does not support any initiative that would spend Great Neck Public School taxpayer money outside initiatives that would benefit Great Neck students. He added that mandates and reduction of local control would also be opposed by the district.
Bossert said the district previously sent a letter to the state calling for regionalization to be a choice, not a mandate, to respect local control and to reinforce its commitment to students and local decision-making.
He said the letter was based upon input from the community and that input was heard by the state education department’s leaders. He said these leaders also watched the board of education’s meeting livestream when it was last discussed, and that the leaders appreciated the community engagement.
“State ed officials heard what we said that night, they heard what I brought to the table and I think we saw that reflected in the actions,” Bossert said. “By no means are we singularly taking credit for any changes made by New York State, but I can tell you that our voice was certainly heard.”
Regionalization is a state education initiative to bolster educational equity and operational efficiency across school districts. The purpose is to address disparities among districts and financial challenges by fostering collaborative programs for areas like athletics and advanced courses.
An emergency regulation in September pushed the program forward, which garnered opposition from many Long Island schools.
The state Board of Regents voted unanimously Monday afternoon to make amendments to the regionalization plan that explicitly states its voluntary opportunities for school districts. School districts would only participate in regionalized programs that they choose to engage in.
Districts can now opt out of regionalization, but must notify the state education department by Jan. 15. Many schools have already begun to cast votes to opt out, which includes Syosset, Roslyn and Wantagh.