By JOSEPH KELLARD
Superintendent Dr. Ed Price said the district was pleased with the vote margin for the budget, which nearly mirrored last year's 573-to-380 vote. "We're very appreciative that the community has seen fit to maintain their ongoing support for our schools and programs that we have for kids," Price said.
While the average proposed budget increase on Long Island was at 7.2 percent this year, Island Park's budget represent a 6.5 percent increase over the current plan, and will raise the average home owner's taxes $250.
Asked about the support for the budget when 36 percent of Long Island districts defeated their budgets, board President Steven Foster claimed voters realized Island Park is doing its "very best" in light of what he believes is the state's under-funding of programs it mandates in their district.
For the 2005-06 budget, Island Park had to devote a one-percent increase to state mandated programs for disabled students enrolled at the Bayview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center on Austin Boulevard. Since the children live outside the district and the question is still pending as to who will finance them, Island Park still had to budget for those kids this year.
Foster also pointed to the impact of county re-assessments, that Island Park is ineligible for various grants due to its status as a "wealthy" district according to state and county formulas, and the recent shift in the tax burden from the local power plant to home owners.
"All this hasn't balanced out in favor of the taxpayer," he said. "It's just become more cumbersome. So, we looked into all these areas, down to the prices of fuel and milk, and tried to budget everything as carefully as we could ... We board members ourselves are paying the same taxes, and we're under the same burdens as everyone else. So, we take it very seriously."
The newest of those tax-paying board members is Speight, who defeated one-term incumbent Levitt for her seat that carries a five-year term.
Asked to comment on her victory and her plans, Speight kept her comments short and sweet. "I'd like to thank everyone who voted for me," she said, "and I'm looking forward to working with the new board."
During her campaign, Speight vowed to improve communications between parents and staff, primarily by improving the district's web site, and to budget more for competitive teams in science, math and speech.
Considering that Speight is a physics teacher at Hewlett High School and an author of state physics regents exams, Price said, "Physics teachers are hard to find, and I'm sure Mrs. Speight will bring some special skills and different perspectives to the board."
After Foster echoed Price's sentiments, he added, "We're hoping for the best with her, and we're certainly going to work shoulder to shoulder with her."
Levitt said she sought re-election to maintain or improve upon the achievements she and the district had made during her term, particularly with special education.
Opting to emphasize the positives of being on the board rather than speculate why she lost the election, Levitt said, "It was a great experience being on the board. I was working with fabulous administrators, faculty and board members ... I loved what I did, and I'm going to miss it because it was a wonderful learning experience."
Both Price and Foster said that while on the board, Levitt made some significant contributions in terms of leadership and special education, and that they believe she will continue to work in these areas. Levitt validated their speculations.
"I'm going to go back to being a parent member of the committee for special education," she said.
