By Matthew McGevna
Residents in the Malverne and West Hempstead school districts headed for the polls on May 15 to decide on the respective budgets put forth by the district board of education.
By a margin of 525 votes, the West Hempstead School District overwhelmingly passed the budget. The $50.8 million proposition takes effect on July 1 and features a number of key improvements, both in the classroom and in the buildings and grounds. With the new budget, the district can hire new teachers, adopt new textbooks and make renovations at all elementary schools, the middle school and the high school, including a new track surface. The total numbers: 1101 in favor, 576 opposed.
"Obviously the community appreciated, by [a margin of] two to one, the less than one percent tax levy increase," said Superintendent Carol Eisenberg. "We did everything. We listened to the community, and I appreciate the fact that this wasn't just one small segment of the community. This was everybody, who came out and supported the budget, and I'm thankful for it."
Assistant Superintendent of Business and Operations Rich Cunningham believed the budget passed for reasons other than the small tax levy increase. "I feel good because the school board seemed to communicate better with the community. And also I think the community supported it because they got the sense that the school board was listening to them and trying to achieve the things that the community was saying was important to them. " Cunningham added that in year's past the district did not do as good a job getting the word out to residents and explaining the budget to voters.
He mentioned, for example, the fact that last year the transportation proposition failed and residents told him it failed because they didn't understand it. "This year we tried to educate people more in person and in literature and on our web site, and in Newsday and the Herald to try and tell them exactly what it was and what the cost or no cost would be," he said. The proposition, number three on the ballot this year, passed by more than 300 votes, with 907 in favor and 592 opposed.
In addition to the budget and transportation referendum, the West Hempstead library budget passed with 962 in favor and 606 opposed, a margin of 356 votes. Library Trustee Andrea Giordano retained her seat unopposed this year, garnering 975 votes.
Malverne School District
In Malverne, the $41.5 million budget passed by a margin of 381 votes, an overwhelming number considering the narrow margins past budgets have squeaked by on. The budget approval gives the school district the money needed for additional staffing at all of the district schools, two new playgrounds at Downing and Davison elementary schools and continuation of summer school and recreation programs. The total votes for the budget proposition: 1086 in favor to 705 opposed.
Proposition two, which was a measure to release $1.3 million dollars in capital funds, passed by a margin of 735 votes. Total numbers were 1219 in favor, 484 opposed. Supporters of the proposition described it as a no-brainer, because more than $500,000 of that $1.3 million was coming from the state free of charge, and would be gone if the measure went down. The remaining $800,000 comes from money the school district already has, and is required by law to either spend, or lose. The approval allows the district to improve its buildings and ground, including a new track surface and the partial replacement of the high school roof. Supporters are also relieved that the capital project improvements will not have to be done through a bond act in the future, which would have cost residents a tax hike.
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