69.0°,
Mostly Cloudy Voting on the school budget, trustees is May 16
H-W district looking to upgrade facilities
On May 16, eligible voters in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District could go to the polls from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Woodmere Education Center at 1 Johnson Place in Woodmere to vote on six propositions.
Residents can cast ballots on the proposed $116.5 million budget for the 2017-18 school year that includes a .95 percent spending increase from the current $115. 4 million fiscal plan. For the second consecutive year, the district is not planning to increase the tax levy — the amount of money the district raises through local property taxes.
Two seats of the Board of Education will be voted on for a three-year term beginning July 1 and ending on June 30, 2020 (deadline to submit a candidate petition for school board is April 19). Current Board of Education President Scott McInnes and Vice President Cheryl May are running for re-election. One Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library trustee position for a five-year term beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, 2022; the library budget; and two other propositions are also on the ballot .
One proposition is to fund district wide projects and one is to establish a new Capital Reserve, both with no increase in either the budget or tax levy, according to district officials.
The first proposition would allow the district to spend $14,100,000 to cover heating, ventilation and air conditioning upgrades at Hewlett High School; improving the field and installing parking lot lights, bleachers and storage at Woodmere Middle School; a PlayScape and library media center upgrade at Ogden Elementary School; window replacement at Franklin Early Childhood Center and Woodmere Education Center; and technology wiring at Hewlett and Ogden elementary schools.
The second proposition would permit the district to establish a new capital reserve fund, known as the 2017 Capital Reserve Fund, to perform several renovations and improvements at the schools in the district. “The amount of the fund is not to exceed $40,000,000 over a ten-year term,” Louis Frontario, assistant superintendent for business in the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, said.
The last day to register to vote in person for residents 18 and older and who have lived in the district for at least 30 days is May 10. Individuals who have voted in previous school, state or national elections during the past four years are automatically registered to vote.
A voter registration day will be held on May 8 from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. at the Woodmere Education Center. Registration is also taking place through May 10 on school days between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. in Room 207 of the education center.
Residents may also register by mail after downloading a New York State Voter Registration Form from the Nassau County Board of Elections website or New York State website.
The Board of Education is set to adopt the proposed budget on April 20 at 8 p.m. at the education center. A budget hearing will be held on May 3, also at that venue.
