School budget passes; Ryan and Vrona elected

By a count of 1,502 vote to 757, residents overwhelmingly approved the Long Beach School District’s $130 million budget for 2014-15 on Tuesday.

In addition, school board incumbent Dr. Dennis Ryan was re-elected to the seat he has held for six years, and newcomer Maureen Vrona beat out her opponents, former school board President Lynn Gergen and Warren Vegh, to claim the other trustee seat up for election.

The district’s spending plan is $6.3 million, or 5.07 percent, larger than the current budget. The tax levy — the total amount the district needs to raise through property taxes — will rise 3.24 percent, or $3 million, to $96.3 million. It amounts to an average homeowner tax increase of $182.

“The budget passed by 67 percent — that’s huge,” Superintendent David Weiss said. “It allows us maintain high-quality programs for student and continue the momentum of moving the district forward.”

Ryan, the board’s vice president, garnered 1,688 votes; Vrona, 1,571; Vegh, 892; and Gergen, 809.

“I think the public’s vote is a endorsement of the board actions of the last six years,” Ryan said. “The community seems pleased, and I think it’s an indication that people see that [Ms. Vrona and I] are service-minded, that we’re here for children and that we’re responsive to the needs of the community.”

Vrona, a former education attorney, ran on a platform of striking a balance between providing quality programs and maintaining a responsible budget. “I am thrilled to have won the election, and I’m excited about this opportunity to serve the community,” she said.

The district decided to try something new this year, and roll out the budget piece by piece at a series of public meetings starting in October. School officials said they hoped this would help residents better understand the budget process. From October to March, school officials continued to present the aspects of a “rollover budget,” which maintained all programs and kept the operating budget level. But even with flat operational spending, the increased cost of benefits, the debt service on the school preservation plan serial bond and other contractual obligations still amounted to an increase of $6.9 million.