Rockville Centre School District budget passes

Rockville Centre School District voters passed the proposed 2014-15 school budget Tuesday night, and returned incumbent Board of Education Trustees Gregg Spaulding and Mayda Kramer to their seats.

The $103.1 million spending plan, 2.37 percent larger than the current budget, passed with 67 percent of the vote, by a count of 1,912 to 937. The increase is mostly attributable to instructional spending, and includes a contractual increase of nearly $1.5 million in staff salaries — the single largest increase in the budget — as well as a state-mandated $700,000 increase in the district’s contribution to the teachers’ retirement fund.

Spaulding and Kramer defeated challenger Lynda Rubino with vote counts of 2,111 and 1,862 to Rubino’s 1,165, respectively. Spaulding earned his third term, and Kramer, her second.

Voters also approved the public library’s $3.3 million budget, which is 1.8 percent larger than the current spending plan, by a count of 1,877 to 649. Rising salaries and employee benefits drove the increase in the budget, as well as maintenance of equipment that is beginning to show its age.

Bill Murray was re-elected to a fourth term on the library’s board of trustees, beating out newcomer Jason Paulsen, 1,205 to 638.

Absentee ballots had yet to be counted as the Herald went to press late Tuesday night, but their numbers were not large enough to change any of the results.