Herald Editorial

Vote 'yes' on Oceanside, Island Park school budgets

Posted

At a time when district administrators are striving to enhance school safety and increase the quality of programs — while holding the line on taxes — it is as important as ever to support school budgets.

The Herald enthusiastically endorses the Oceanside and Island Park school district spending plans, and encourages voters to show their support by voting “yes” on Tuesday.

Oceanside officials adopted a $157.2 million budget which would maintain all student programs and services while adding new curricula and staff positions.

The district also would continue to focus on mental health and wellness by hiring an elementary school health and wellness provider. The spending plan would also fund new playgrounds at Schools No. 2 and 4, and new security systems at all schools — which includes hiring a security consulting company to implement initiatives districtwide.

The Herald also encourages voters to approve the district’s reserves proposition, which would permit officials to use funds to renovate the high school’s 13-year-old artificial-turf field, add protective netting around the interior perimeter, between the field and track, and replace three interior doors at the high school.

Island Park school officials have proposed a $40.3 million spending plan.

The proposed budget would put money aside for new English Language Arts program materials, technology upgrades, the purchase of Chromebooks for classroom use, and the introduction of new literacy, reading and writing programs for all grade levels. It also includes high school tuition for Long Beach and West Hempstead high schools, busing to those schools, BOCES and private schools, and the purchase of a school bus for $60,000.

District officials should be lauded for creating budgets that would implement much-needed new initiatives and programs to help students in each district grow and learn.