It's official: Stewart Manor school's teachers, staff won't pay to park
Parents and students demonstrate against a plan to have teachers pay for $50 monthly parking passes at Stewart Manor Middle School. (Aug. 30, 2013) Credit: Johnny Milano
It’s official: The teachers and staff won’t have to pay for parking.
Village officials repealed a controversial ordinance that, when passed in August, spelled out $50 monthly fees for staff to park in village-owned parking spots next to Stewart Manor Elementary School.
As a result, the Elmont school district converted a blacktop playground into a temporary parking lot, removing a popular student option for recess — much to the chagrin of students and parents.
After criticism, the law was put on hold in September, and in October trustees voted to hold a public hearing to repeal it. That hearing was held Tuesday.
After the October vote, school officials said staff would resume parking in the spots that month.
The board voted 4-1 to repeal the local law, according to the village clerk. Mayor Gerard S. Tangredi cast the lone no vote.
He has said the parking fee was crucial to filling the village’s revenue shortfalls and that the village needed to explore “nontaxing revenue.”
The monthly fee would have amounted to $500 yearly for the staff, and revenue from the nearly 40 spots would have yielded roughly $20,000 for the village.
“We are extremely grateful to the Stewart Manor board,” Elmont schools Superintendent Al Harper said yesterday.
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