Thursday, October 1, 2026
After North Shore School District voters approved a $111.6 million spending plan but rejected the proposition for a capital reserve fund on May 18, district officials say they heard what the community had to say and were prepared to move forward.
“We as a board voted seven to nothing to put it forward to the community for the community to decide,” Board of Education President Dave Ludmar said of the failed proposition. “Now we’re going to have to go back to the drawing board and figure out which of those projects are still going to be integral to student life and student outcomes, and figure out a way to get them funded.”
Proposition 2 would have established a capital reserve fund of as much as $8.3 million for infrastructure projects including field lighting at North Shore High School, the installation of artificial-turf fields at schools throughout the district, wellness centers at the high school and middle school and the replacement of a track surface, among others.
Some of those projects, Ludmar acknowledged, will now likely not be funded. And while that is disappointing, he said, that’s why the district holds elections: so the community can weigh in.
“I think there are concerns in general about the level of reserves and the concept of reserves in general,” he added. “The board and the administration have worked hard to communicate the reasons why we have reserve levels at the numbers that they are, and we will continue to work with the community on expressing why we have reserves, but also listen to community feedback.”
Voters also elected school board trustees to fill two open seats, after board Vice President Tim Madden and Lisa Vizza, both of whom served for three years, decided not to run again. Lisa Colacioppo and Maria Mosca, both of Sea Cliff, defeated Paul Puskuldjian and Anthony Stanco, and will be sworn in at the board’s reorganizational meeting in July.
Mosca previously told the Herald that her main goals as trustee would be to listen to, and balance the needs of, all stakeholders and students. After her win, she wrote on her campaign Facebook page that she woke up pinching herself.
“It is a special honor to be trusted by one’s community and I’ll be working very hard not to disappoint you,” Mosca wrote. “The geek in me can’t wait to get to the real work now.”
Colacioppo said that she, too, was honored to be elected. “As a trustee, I hope to promote the health and well-being of our children, academically, socially, physically and emotionally,” she said. “I’m excited to begin my work on the school board this summer, and I’m proud of our community’s long tradition of supporting our schools.”
Colacioppo had told the Herald that her goals included making sure all stakeholders are part of the discussion when it comes to district matters, whether it’s about special education or the budget. “I think we need to figure out how to get the community answers to their questions even before they arise,” she said, “and communicate the budgeting process in a very clear way.”
Madden said he believed that Colacioppo and Mosca would be excellent representatives of the community and the students. “It was an honor having the opportunity to serve the North Shore community as a school board trustee,” he said. “I am grateful to [Superintendent Dr. Peter] Giarrizzo for his tireless efforts on behalf of the district, especially during this most difficult year, and wish him well at his new home. I also would like to thank my board colleagues for their tremendous commitment to the district, their thoughtfulness and their often spirited discussions.”
And as Vizza leaves the board as well, Madden reflected on her positive impact over the years. “She is an outstanding trustee,” he said, “who always considers competing points of view and the impact that district decisions will have on the wide variety of stakeholders in the schools and the wider community.”
Jill Nossa contributed to this story.
