Oceanside, Island Park school district budgets pass, board members re-elected

The Oceanside and Island Park school districts have passed both their respective budgets for the 2024-25 school years and all unopposed trustees for each district have kept their titles. The budget for the Oceanside school district passed 1,680 yes to 740 no and was finalized at $174.3 million and for the Island Park school district budget of $44.3 million passed with 334 votes yes to 253 votes no. The Oceanside Library budget passed 1,479 yes and 829 no for a final budget of $7.6 million.

Oceanside Proposition 2, the capital reserve projects was approved 1,748 yes and 657 no, the two approved projects funded will be synthetic turf for the baseball and softball field at Oceanside High School, tennis court renovation to accommodate pickleball at the high school, the addition of air conditioning in the high school band room, a small area of synthetic turf at Oaks Elementary School and the construction of two pickleball courts at the Kindergarten Center.

Proposition 3, regarding the Capital Reserve Fund, established via voter approval in May 2018 to fund capital expenditures such as construction projects without adding to the budget passed with a vote of 1,646 yes to 724.

The Oceanside Board of Education President Seth Blau and trustee Stuart Kaplan remain on the board for three-year terms and Island Park's trustee Tara Byrne, who ran unopposed, also stays on the board after receiving 435 votes.

The Island Park budget represents a tax levy increase of 1.99 percent, which is below the allowable cap. Island Park School District Proposition 2 passed with 339 votes yes to 234 votes no. The Proposition includes establishing a power plant tax assessment reserve fund to offset the district’s tax base reduction due to the LIPA settlement.

The third proposition calling for a five-year contract with Long Beach Public Schools for Island Park students to continue to attend Long Beach High School for the next five years passed with 489 votes to 90 votes.

The Island Park Library budget passed with 432 votes to 137. Island Park Public Library trustee election winner is Vice President Dean Bacigalupo with 432 votes.

"I would like to thank the residents of Island Park for voting for the library budget," said Island Park Library Board President, Joe Ponte.