The Herald endorses the district'd5s proposed budget for 2008-09.
The spending plan totals $43.5 million, and includes funding for new high school elective courses and a new instrumental music program for fourth-grade students. After getting nearly $609,000 more than expected in state aid, members of District 12'd5s Board of Education were also able to reduce the budget'd5s projected tax levy increase from 5.35 percent to 3.97 percent. We encourage voters to approve it on Tuesday.
West Hempstead
In West Hempstead, school board trustees managed to continue the district'd5s three-year trend of limiting the tax levy increase to less than 1 percent. The proposed $52.6 million budget is projected to raise the levy by just 0.77 percent. \
West Hempstead school officials are planning to add more teachers in reading, special education and a new kindergarten-through-second grade foreign language program next year. And the district has made technology upgrades a priority by earmarking budget money for the purchase of additional computers and Smart Boards. \
We endorse the budget, and urge residents to pass it.\
Valley Stream District 13
District 13'd5s $40.4 million budget is reasonable in that it maintain academic programs and supports technology needs. More SmartBoards will be purchased next year. These interactive white boards have been a hit with students and teachers. The days of teaching using just chalkboard and textbooks are over. Children are exposed to technology at such an early age that schools simply must be on board.
The budget is a 5.26 percent increase over this year, but taxes will rise at about only half that rate. The average homeowner in District 13 would see a $68 increase in their tax bills. We believe this is reasonable given the increasing costs all school districts are facing.
The biggest addition in District 13 is a fourth math specialist, which would allow each building to have a full-time person. With all the emphasis on the state assessments and early intervention, this position is necessary to give struggling students an extra teaching resource.
We urge residents to vote to approve this budget.
Candidate endorsements
Malverne
Karen Aker has served District 12 well as a trustee, and the Herald believes she deserves another term.
Aker, 60, wants to improve students'd5 performance on state exams while providing them with well-developed extracurricular activities. She also wants to improve communication in the diverse district, which encompasses parts of Malverne, Lakeview, West Hempstead and Lynbrook.
Aker plans to continue to address the concerns of district parents, and stresses that she sees a need to create initiatives that encourage residents to attend school board meetings, community forums and other school functions in District 12. We also hope she focuses on improving communication during her fourth term as trustee.
We commend her challenger, Julian Jones, for his desire to make positive changes in the school community. He says he wants to see students succeed, and this is an attitude that all candidates should have. Jones, 53, is a community-minded man, and we hope this is not the last we hear from him.
West Hempstead
The West Hempstead district is fortunate to have two excellent candidates running for the school board. Incumbent Vincent Trocchia, 56, is campaigning for his seventh consecutive term, and there is no doubt that Trocchia'd5s experience would continue to benefit the district.
Throughout his years as a trustee, he has made the most of his background in construction, advancing needed refurbishments in the district'd5s buildings. Trocchia is also committed to updating technology. He has brought leadership, experience and much more to the school board, and he is clearly dedicated to making education a priority in West Hempstead.
The challenger, Walter Ejnes, 43, shares similar qualities. Ejnes, who is making his second bid for a school board seat, is active on a number of school associations and committees, and has a passion for improving student performance. He has creative ideas 'd1 such as encouraging the use of computer programs in students'd5 everyday lessons 'd1 that would help improve the educational atmosphere in classrooms districtwide. Ejnes has also taken the initiative to learn about parents'd5 and residents'd5 concerns.
Both candidates are fine representatives of what residents in West Hempstead can offer their school district. They are both selfless people who appear to want nothing but the best for students, and each has the intelligence and drive that is needed to push the district forward. There is no wrong choice here.
Times are changing rapidly, however, and our children need representatives on the school board who will embrace progress, and who fully understand that no matter what has been accomplished, more can always be done. New programs and ideas are essential 'd1 and, in West Hempstead'd5s case, essential to encourage Island Park students and their parents to choose West Hempstead High School.
This is where Ejnes stands out. In our judgment, he has a better grasp of the new issues facing the district, and he has offered a number of potential solutions to these issues that, with proper planning and community participation, we believe would work. We strongly encourage voters to elect Ejnes on Tuesday.
The Herald also endorses Pamela Lotito'd5s re-election. Lotito, 57, who is running unopposed, says she wants to continue to provide district students with the best educational opportunities while easing the burden on taxpayers. This year Lotito worked with her fellow school board members in pursuit of these goals, and she deserves the chance to continue that work.
Valley Stream
This year there are eight seats up for election among the three elementary school districts, and eight candidates. Still, it is important not to overlook this part of the ballot on Tuesday, and to support those looking to serve our schools.
Incumbents Debra Evans and Frank Chiachiere join newcomer Thomas Speranza on the District 13 ballot. In District 24, Paul DePace, Carole Meaney and Ian Wraith are all running unopposed for re-election. District 30 has incumbent Elise Antonelli running for a five-year term and Cristobal Stewart looking to fill the remaining four years of the seat vacated by Andrew Walters. Give them your votes on Tuesday.
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