Voters approve Baldwin budget; Reid elected to BOE

Baldwin residents approved their school district’s $122 million budget on May 20 by a comfortable margin – 1,857 to 692 – and elected Karyn Reid to the Board of Education.

The approved budget has a tax levy increase of 1.51 percent and a budget-to-budget increase of 2.49 percent from the current spending plan. It restores programs that were cut during last year’s budget process, including all three sports seasons for both Baldwin Middle School and Baldwin High School, fourth-grade instrumental music and Suzuki Violin and musical productions at BMS and BHS. The budget was passed by 73 percent of voters.

“We feel that the budget is responsive to the goals expressed by the community and it continues to provide an excellent educational and extracurricular program for our students,” said Superintendent James Scannell. “We are very grateful to the community for its support of the budget and look forward to continuing our collaboration as we move ahead.”

Reid, a substitute teacher in Uniondale, edged out Lorienton Palmer, the deputy town attorney for the Town of North Hempstead, by 214 votes. Reid captured 1,313 votes, Palmer took 1,099 and Heather Cameron, the owner of a contracting business, tallied 174.

Since the seat Reid won was vacant, she was sworn in immediately after her victory became official. “I was speechless,” Reid said. “This was something I wanted and I worked hard for but you never know…I was just thankful [the community] has put their trust in me.”

Reid said she’s looking forward to being brought up to speed on all board issues and upcoming decisions, including the hiring of a new district superintendent. 

Proposition 3 passed 1,789 to 559 and will use $1.5 million from capital reserves to fund infrastructure improvements to the district’s schools and offices, including gym window replacement to Brookside Elementary School, replacement of exterior concrete ramps at Meadow Elementary School and upgrading the BMS Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning system (HVAC).

Baldwin Public Library’s $4.19 million budget also passed easily, 1,766 to 667. The budget’s tax levy of 5.36 percent exceeded the maximum allowable limit of 1.56 percent, but only needed a simple majority to pass.

Joe Carroll was elected to another five-year term on the library’s Board of Trustees and Kerry Schwenker won the write-in vote and will finish out a term with one year remaining.