Roslyn School District Trustees Robert Koonin and Alison Gilbert defeated newcomer Qiana Hobdy on Tuesday, May 20, to retain their seats on the board of education.
Robert Koonin received 829 votes and Alison Gilbert received 853 votes to win the open spots.
Qiana Hobdy received 146 votes.
Hobdy serves as the president of the North Shore NAACP and as a minister at Friendship Baptist Church in Roslyn Heights. She said she’s bringing her background of advocating for children and families to build an inclusive and supportive environment for students and staff.
Koonin, who ran for his second term on the board, said that he’s worked on issues including improving classroom curriculum and building facilities while on the board. Koonin also said he brings his experience in the legal and real estate industries to work with the district’s legal counsel if issues arise.
Gilbert also ran for her second term on the board and said she will continue to advance the interests of children and families around the district. Gilbert, who works as a clinical professor at Northwell Health, said she has worked on implementing district improvements like funding for athletic field upgrades.
The Roslyn district’s $136.8 million budget was approved with 80% of the vote. The total votes were 798 in favor and 200 against.
The budget includes a 2.89% tax levy increase and marks a $4.2 million or 2.89% increase from the $132.6 million 24-25 budget.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $40,700 per pupil.
The budget allocates funding for infrastructure projects, including updated heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems and improvements to the high school auditorium and Harbor Hill baseball field.
In addition to the budget, voters also approved Proposition 2, which authorizes the district to levy a tax to fund the Bryant Library. The approved proposition allows for a $5,302,534 library budget for the 2025–26 school year.
Proposition 3 was also passed, allowing the Board of Education to purchase school buses and vans, including related equipment, at a cost not exceeding $719,746. The proposition authorizes the district to fund the purchase through taxes collected in installments, bonds, or installment purchase contracts lasting up to five years.
East Williston School District
The East Williston School District has two new trustees.
Bo Hsu and Nadia Afridi won their elections against Alina Uzilova and Eswar Sivaraman, respectively.
Hsu received 54.8% of the vote and Uzilova received 44.1% of the vote. Hsu will fill the seat held by Trustee David Keefe. He received 1086 votes to Uzilova’s 897.
Afridi received 54.5% of the vote, and Sivaraman received 45.5%. Afridi will fill the seat held by Trustee Tasmin Meghji. She received 1047 votes to Sivaraman’s 875.
Hsu and Afridi had said their platforms were aligned with each other in that they were looking to make incremental improvements to a district they thought was running well.
Incumbents Keefe and Meghji both announced decisions to step down at the end of this term in April.
The school district’s $72.5 million 2025-2026 budget was approved with 66.4% of the vote. The total votes were 1,299 in favor and 658 against.
The budget includes a 2.45% tax levy increase, equal to the state-imposed cap of the same amount. It is up $1.3 million, or 1.79%, from the $71.2 million allocated in 2024-2025.
According to calculations made by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $xxxx per pupil.
Voters also approved a proposition authorizing the district to transfer $376,876, plus accrued interest, from its 2015 capital reserve to its 2023 capital reserve.
The district has said this will allow it to fund the completion of certain construction and renovation projects sooner and will not cost taxpayers anything. This received 80% of votes.
The total votes were 1502 in favor and 375 against.
Herricks School District
The Herricks School District’s $144.5 million 2025-2026 budget was approved with 70% of the vote.
The total votes were 702 in favor and 301 against.
The budget is up 2%, or 2.8 million, from the $147.7 million 2024-20265 budget and includes a 2% tax levy increase under the state-imposed 2.5% cap.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $32,768.81 per student.
Voters also approved a proposition allowing the district to transfer roughly $2.1 million from the district’s capital reserve to purchase new boilers for the community center and high school.
The total votes were 771 in favor and 222 against.
School Board President Juleigh Chin, who was running unopposed, was elected for a fifth term. Chin received 806 votes.
North Shore School District
The North Shore community voted in favor of the district’s $125 million budget, with 70% in favor. The total votes were 1,657 in favor and 697 against.
The budget is around $3 million, or 2.5%, more than the current school year budget. It includes a tax levy increase of 2.99%, below the state’s limit of 3.2%.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $47,000 per student.
District voters elected a new trustee, Brian Hanley, who ran uncontested to fill a vacant seat left by former trustee Richard Galati. He received 1,534 votes. Hanley has worked on the district’s Legislative Action Committee for two years.
The community also voted to keep the district’s three incumbent trustees, James Svendsen, Lisa Cashman and Jessica Dillon in their seats, all of whom were also running unopposed.
Svendsen received 1,543 votes for his second term. Cashman received 1,665 votes for her second term. Dillon received 1,541 votes, earning a seat for her first full term after her January appointment.
Dillon brings a 17-year career in higher education. She worked with the Nassau and Suffolk County Community Colleges, where she developed budgets and secured funding from the state for the school board.
Jericho School District
Write-in candidate Kenny Jin was elected to the Jericho Board of Education with 811 votes, edging out Jenn Camhi, who received 694 votes. Jin will fill the seat of Board President Christopher Foresto, who did not run for re-election.
Jin launched his write-in campaign about a week and a half before the election, running on the issues of transparency and outreach to immigrant communities.
The Jericho School District’s $143.8 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year was approved with 81% of the vote.. The total votes were 1,044 for and 245 against.
The budget is an approximate $4 million increase from the current year’s $139.8 million, and it includes an approximate $3.3 million, or 2.94%, tax levy increase.
Voters also passed Proposition No. 2, which authorizes the allocation of approximately $6.1 million from the district’s reserves for districtwide facility upgrades. The proposition passed with 986 in favor and 369 against.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $43,570 per student.
Mineola School District
The Mineola School District’s $112.2 million 2025-2026 budget with 78% voting in favor. The total votes were 560 in favor and 159 against.
The budget is $2.6 million, or 2.41%, more than the $109.6 million 2024-2025 budget and includes a 2.08% tax levy increase, equal to the district’s state-imposed cap.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $37,981 per student.
A proposition allowing the district to transfer up to $4 million from the 2022 capital reserve to the general fund was approved with 571 votes in favor and 140 against.
The capital reserve fund currently holds roughly $6.4 million. The money will be used to finance repairs to the middle school’s auditorium roof system, baseball field, and entry area to the art rooms.
Voters also re-elected School Board Vice President Cheryl Lampasona for her fourth term. She ran uncontested and received 598 votes. Lampasona has been an elementary school teacher in Woodside, Queens, for over 15 years and has two sons in the district.
Westbury School District
Westbury voters approved the district’s $201.3 million budget, with 81.5% voting in approval.
The total votes were 371 in favor and 84 against.
It is up $2.4 million, or 1.22% from this year’s $198.9 million budget. The budget proposal does not include a tax levy increase.
According to calculations by Schneps Media LI, the district spends $44,485 per student.
A proposition allowing the district to transfer $8.4 million from the capital reserve fund to finance the construction, reconstruction, and renovation of school district buildings and facilities as needed was approved with 86.7% of the vote.
The total votes were 353 in favor and 54 against.
Westbury also has a new trustee.
Voters elected Mateo Flores to Pedro Quintanilla’s seat. Quintanilla decided to step down at the end of this term, making the election uncontested. Flores received 349 votes.
Voters also re-elected incumbents Board President Robert Troiano and Vice President Floyd Ewing. Troiano received 420 votes and Ewing received 359 votes.
