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Mostly Cloudy Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence budgets pass
Altus, Gates and Witt, Kaufman and Feldhamer gain BOE seats
Updated May 17 at 10:25 a.m.
Budgets in both the Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence school districts were approved by voters on Tuesday.
The Hewlett-Woodmere spending plan for the 2012-13 school year is $105.785 million, 2.47 percent larger than the current $103.24 million budget. The district’s tax-levy cap is 1.91 percent, which is lower than the state’s mandated 2 percent cap.
“The Board of Education proposed a highly responsible and responsive budget, and the community supported the efforts,” said Superintendent Dr. Joyce Bisso. The unofficial result is 1,388 to 877. Absentee ballots were still being counted.
Residents also approved the creation of a reserve fund that will permit the district to save up to $500,000 for repairs of its facilities not related to athletics.
"The community continues to support education and the bottom line are the children," said incumbent trustee Stephen Witt, won re-election.
Lawrence’s $93.1 million 2012-13 budget also falls below the state’s tax-levy cap. However, the tax levy, the amount of money needed to be raised through taxes, will increase by nearly $1.6 million, to $80.5 million. “This is a vote of confidence from the given to the district by the community,” said Superintendent Gary Schall. The count was 587-255.
Hewlett-Woodmere’s trustee seats were also won by Melissa Gates and Jonathan Altus, who ran as a team with Witt. Their vote totals were 1,451, 1,556 and 1,286, respectively. Independent candidate Fred Usherson garnered 794 votes. All terms are for three years.
"I'm very grateful to the community for showing confidence and faith in me," Gates said.
In Lawrence, unopposed incumbents Uri Kaufman (522 votes for a third term) and Abel Feldhamer (524 votes for second term) retained their board seats. Theirs are also three-year terms.
The low voter turnout disappointed Schall, but he thought it was due to the uncontested trustee election and rainy weather. "I was disappointed by the turnout, but the community supported the budget," he said.
Voters also approved the Peninsula Public Library’s $2.99 million budget — 322-119. Incumbent Trustee Sarah Yastrab (532 votes) won her first five-year term, after being elected last year to complete an unexpired term.
