November 6, 2024

Dear GNPS Community,

We hope this letter finds you well.  As elected trustees of the Great Neck Public Schools, we have been closely following the recent developments regarding the New York State Education Department’s (NYSED) Regionalization Plan.

To be clear, the Board and Administration strongly oppose any initiative that jeopardizes local control of our schools, or redistributes taxpayer dollars and resources to other jurisdictions.  We believe that the forced acceptance of students from other districts or directed partnerships with other schools do not serve the needs of our community.  Maintaining complete and total local control in the governance of all district operations is of the utmost importance to this Board and Administration, as we know it is to all constituents.

We believe that any and all NYSED regionalization efforts should be voluntary and beneficial to all participating schools.  As a Board, we will continue to work with our local representative of the Board of Regents, Roger Tilles, in his advocacy efforts (as reported by Newsday in Monday’s edition) to make specific changes to the NYSED regulations to indicate voluntary participation only.  We hope Regent Tilles’ voice and concerns will be heard and gain support from NYSED.  For those who viewed the Board of Regents meeting held on Monday, you likely heard Regent Tilles emphatically make this point to NYSED officials, who have already responded that the regulatory language would be reviewed and that modifications are currently being considered.  Like you, we look forward to changes and clarifications reflected in NYSED documents. 

Furthermore, this Board will send our comments and questions directly to NYSED to inquire about the language discrepancies between the resolution on the State Register and what was written in the FAQs section on the NYSED website.  This letter will be sent following an opportunity for public discussion at the November 13 business meeting of the Board (well ahead of the public comment period deadline of November 24).  In addition, we will pointedly express our desire to retain complete and total sovereignty over the governance and resources of our school district.

We remain vigilant in our efforts to gather more information that enables us to act appropriately in accordance with these stated principles and in the best interest of our community.  We will keep the community apprised of new information we receive and our thoughts as they evolve.

Thank you to the residents who have reached out seeking clarification of the position of the Board on this important issue.  We hope this letter serves to bring such clarity. 

Sincerely,
Grant Toch, Board President, on behalf of the Board of Education
Kenneth R. Bossert, Ed.D., Superintendent of Schools