Neighboring school districts also pass
On Tuesday, May 15, Farmingdale School District residents took to the polls at Howitt Middle School, resulting in an approved 2012-13 school budget with the breakdown being 1,787—yes, and 896—no. This year’s budget offered to voters totaled $150,567,160. The district’s budget-to-budget increase is 1.82 percent more than last year.
Shari Bardash-Eivers, Kathly Lively and Rick Morrison all ran unopposed and earned re-election.
Melville—Half Hollow Hills School District (Melville, Dix Hills, Babylon)
The 2012-13 budget for the Half Hollow Hills School District was approved by resident voters in a tally of Yes—1,573, to No—710.
The Half Hollow Hills (HHH) School District adopted a 2.33 percent tax levy cap. HHH state aid rose by approximately $900,000 from state aid budgeted in 2011-12.
The 2012-13 budget was $221,918,299, a 2.75 percent increase from the district’s 2011-12 budget. The district reports that this is the lowest budget-to-budget increase in 15 years, staying within the property tax levy cap.
School board trustees Frank Grimaldi and James Ptucha earned the majority of the votes for re-election.
Melville—South Huntington School District (South Huntington, Melville)
The South Huntington UFSD proposed a $142,943,982 budget for the 2012-13 scool year, resulting in a 1.92 percent budget increase from last year, and a 4.74 percent tax levy.
The South Huntington School District 2012-13 budget passed with the breakdown of Yes—2,336, No—837. Linda LaCara (2,056), Michele DeGaetano (2,160), and Edward Nitkewicz (1702) earned a majority of the votes for the seats available on the school board. Thomas Teresky earned 1,455 votes.
Bethpage
The Bethpage Union Free School District 2012-13 budget passed with 1,053—yes votes, to 453—no votes.
Trustees Sandy Watson and James McGlynn were both re-elected to the school board of education.
The Bethpage School District budget that was adopted offered a 2.495 percent budget-to-budget increase, at $76,444,568 and the district’s lowest increase in 21 years. Bethpage’s tax levy increase is 3.4 percent, below the permitted tax levy cap formula for Bethpage.
Bethpage teachers have agreed to take a zero percent increase, in addition to central administrators, clerical and custodial settling with a one-year zero-percent increase.
Massapequa
Another highly competitive board of education election has ended with voters in the Massapequa School District electing a new school board member, while re-electing the lone incumbent in the race.
Joseph LaBella was the top vote getter with 2,535 votes. Incumbent Maryanne Fisher was re-elected to a fourth term with 2,333 votes.
Both Diane Sheffield and Joseph Marsh ran as a team for the BOE. Both also polled strongly, with Sheffield receiving 1,948 votes and Marsh tallying 1,552 votes. Joseph Carozza received 956 votes.
In addition, the 2012-13 school budget was approved, receiving 3,208 yes votes with 1,814 Massapequa School District residents voting no.
This proposed school budget totaled $183,073,234, which according to Massapequa School District officials, amounted to a budget-to-budget increase of $3,863,335 or 2.16 percent over last year’s budget. The tax levy increase is $3,219,646 or a 2.22 percent increase, which fully complies with the new state tax cap limits, district officials said prior to the vote. And that, too, was good enough for approval in what turned out to be an election with extensive voter turnout.
Plainedge School District
In other area school news, voters in the Plainedge School District approved of the 2012-13 budget by a solid 1,376 to 904 margin.
The budget called for $83,038,901 in expenditures, a slight increase over last year’s total of $79,715,961.
Voters also approved a capital reserve proposition, which called for the district to expend $500,000 from the district’s capital reserve fund in order to make repairs to school buildings. The vote was 1,416 to 702 in the affirmative.
The three board of education incumbents up for re-election—Mary Lowe, Dennis Gustafson, and Maryann Capone—faced no challengers. They were re-elected to another three-year term each. Finally, the Plainedge Library budget was approved by a similar 1,454-754 margin, with David Gottlieb winning re-election without opposition.
