North Shore School District residents who cast their ballots in the North Shore High School gym on May 20 overwhelmingly approved the proposed 2025-26 budget. Voters also decided on four uncontested seats on the district’s Board of Education.
The $125 million spending plan passed with over 70 percent of the vote, by a count of 1,657 to 697. It is 2.4 percent larger than the current budget — which, board President Andrea Macari noted last month, is the 11th smallest year-to-year increase in 59 years.
“I’m thrilled that I’m part of a community with a long tradition of supporting their schools,” Macari said after the vote. “I want to thank everybody who came out and voted, and we hope that you will continue to support us.”
The budget includes a tax levy increase of
roughly 2.9 percent, which is below the district’s cap. Increasing costs in the upcoming year mostly comprise employee benefits, rising salaries and the implementation of a new curriculum.
School officials said that the budget reflected the district’s core values while managing the challenges of fiscal uncertainty.
“We feel like we put forward a very responsible budget that balanced the community’s demands while preserving our programs for our kids,” Superintendent Chris Zublionis said after the vote. He credited the “efficiencies we found over the last two years, and finding that balance between the pressures on our community and preserving our programs for our kids.”
While district revenues are stable for now, North Shore could face a revenue loss in 2027-28 of more than $8 million due to tax changes from the 2022 settlement between Nassau County and LIPA Glenwood Landing. The settlement has significantly impacted district taxpayers. Twenty-five years ago, homeowners in the district paid about 55 percent of the district’s share of taxes; now they pay more than 80 percent.
While the district has acknowledged uncertainty in the years ahead, there are some areas in which there is clarity for the upcoming year, including enrollment, student programs, staffing, mandated costs and inflation.
There were no additional propositions included in the spending proposal.
In the Board of Educaton election,
incumbent Trustees Lisa Cashman, Jessica Dillon and James Svendsen, and newcomer Brian Hanley all secured seats, running unopposed.
Cashman, first elected in 2022, will return to the board for her second term. With 1,665 votes, she had the highest tally of the four candidates.
The 52-year-old Sea Cliff resident is a clinical dietitian with a private practice, and is also associate director of the Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, working on initiatives to protect the harbor’s water quality.
“I’m thrilled to serve again,” Cashman said after votes were tallied. “The mandate from the community is very encouraging, and I hope to earn it.”
Svendsen, founder of Svenducate Consulting, joined the board last year. The 59-year-old Glenwood Landing resident replaced Trustee Marianne Russo, who stepped down from the board in 2024. He earned 1,543 votes on Tuesday, for his first full term on the board.
Svendsen has been active on a number of committees related to curriculum, staff development, school safety and technology, including the district’s Legislative Action and Teaching and Learning committees, the Homework Policy Task Force and the Middle School Principal Search Committee.
He made the case that, with his decades of experience in education, he is uniquely qualified to continue serving as a trustee. “I’m happy to be doing this again,” he said, “and I am honored to take this role.”
Dillon, who was just two votes shy of Svendsen’s vote total, earning 1,541, will serve her first full term on the board. A 42-year-old Glen Head resident, is an assistant registrar at Suffolk County Community College. She has served on the board’s Legislative Action Committee since 2023 — and as president of the Parent Advisory Committee at her employer-sponsored child care center from 2019 to 2023.
In those roles, Dillon said, she has worked to enhance educational access and support for children and families in the community.
“I’m looking forward to serving the community,” she said after the results were announced. “And I’m glad that the budget passed. That’s the most important thing.”
Hanley, the new trustee, who earned 1,534 votes, is a financial services regulatory attorney who worked as a software developer in finance and telecommunications before joining the legal profession.
The 47-year-old Sea Cliff resident has also served on the district’s Legislative Action Committee since 2021, researching potential flexibility in standardized testing mandates, monitoring changes in state law that impact the district, submitting written comments in public proceedings and advocating for the district with state and local lawmakers.
“I am honored by the privilege,” Hanley said of his new role on the board. “This is a great team to join.”
