By:Andrew Coen
With the budget going down 3,921 votes to 2,927, the district is in jeopardy of operating for a second straight year on austerity, possibly forcing the elimination of another 30 staff members and cuts in student programs and activities.
It-s a significant no vote, which I-m not sure how to interpret since I thought the board adopted a fiscally responsible budget, said Lawrence Superintendent Dr. John Fitzsimons.
All three Lawrence school board incumbents retained their seats. Dr. David Sussman earned a fourth term on the board by beating former Central Council PTA president Penny Schuster, 3,920 votes to 3,717. Trustees Pamela Greenbaum and Dr. Asher Mansdorf held onto their seats. Greenbaum beat Shlomo Huttler, 4,047 votes to 3,548. Mansdorf survived a challenge from Stanley Kopilow, 4,005 votes to 3,685.
The Peninsula Public Library budget, which called for a 4.5 percent increase, passed, 3,898 votes to 2,545. Incumbent library board Trustee Joseph Fuller ran unopposed for another five-year term and received 3,817 votes.
The Lawrence budget proposal of $87,326,933 represented a 4.7 percent increase over the current austerity budget of $83,419,384. The tax levy increase was 9.35 percent.
The current board now has until July 1 to present a new budget proposal to voters. If the budget fails again, the district would be forced onto contingency for the second year in a row. Last June 3, the budget was voted down and a modified budget was defeated during a June 30 re-vote.
District 14 vote
District 14 voters on Tuesday approved the school budget, 1,488 votes to 1,225.
Voters also returned incumbent school board trustee Stephanie Gould to a fourth term and elected Harold Kislik to the board for the first time. Gould received 1,853 votes, while Kislik, who will replace retiring 21-year board member Richard Braverman, garnered 1,475. Steven Arons, the third candidate running for one of the two seats in the at-large election, collected 812 votes. The approved $74.7 million budget represents an 8.25 percent increase over the current budget of $69 million.
I-m delighted the budget passed, and I want to thank members of the community for supporting their schools, Braverman said.
I-m very proud of the results, said Kislik. I-m very happy the budget passed, and I-m looking forward to working with the school board.
Voters also approved two other propositions, which authorize the funding of additional science labs at Hewlett High School and the replacement of a boiler at the Woodmere Education Center, and allow the district to spend grant money for the high school geothermal heating and cooling project.
