The Port Washington community voted 78% in favor of the district’s $199 million budget. The total votes were 1,880 in favor and 537 against.
The budget marks a $4.5 million, or 2.28%, increase from $194.6 million 24-25 school year budget, along with a 3.39% rise in the tax levy.
The budget allocates funding for hiring up to three full-time employees, focusing on hiring new elementary school teachers to address concerns about growing elementary class sizes.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $37,000 per pupil.
In an uncontested election for two board of education trustee positions, incumbent trustee Deborah Brooks received 1,702 votes and newcomer Jessica Melwani received 1,894 votes.
Melwani fills Emily Beys seat, who did not seek reelection due to personal commitments.
Melwani said she plans to bring her professional background in publishing and journalism, along with her experience on the Manorhaven PTA, Port Washington Parents’ Council, and the Ed Foundation, to the position.
After moving back home to Port Washington in 2015, Melwani has served as the co-president of the Manorhaven PTA, where she helped organize fund-raising initiatives during the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented the first building-level initiative aimed at increasing connection and belonging among students, parents, teachers, and administrators.
As co-president and now vice president of outreach at the Port Washington Parents’ Council, Melwani said among her accomplishments are implementing a district-wide pre-K and elementary toy drive and creating the PW Community Outreach Roundtable, where parent organizations, local outreach providers and school district personnel discuss how to improve the lives of Port Washington families in a monthly forum.
Brooks, who has served on the board for six years, said she will continue to ensure that the state and federal governments do not overstep their roles in determining curriculum and will continue to monitor federal funding, which she noted is currently in good shape.
Before moving to Port Washington, Brooks worked as a public defender for young people in Baltimore, where she developed a passion for addressing structural inequity. Brooks said she has taken this mission to her work on the Port Washington School Board and its policy committee, noting that she considers inclusion and equity when creating district policy.
