School Board Election Results

BALDWIN

Baldwin school budget squeaks by

By Anthony Rifilato The Baldwin School District's 2006-07 budget passed by a slim margin on Wednesday, in what proved to be a divisive issue among residents who turned out on Tuesday to vote for or against the measure. Because of the narrow margin, school officials had initially said that the vote was too close to call on Tuesday and that they needed to tally 18 affidavit ballots with the New York state Board of Elections. In the end, the budget passed by only five votes. The $99.8 million budget raises taxes next year by $350 on the average home in Baldwin, currently assessed at $397,600. The slim vote in Baldwin comes after nearly 85 percent of school budgets on Long Island - totaling more than $9 billion - were passed by voters, following two years of budget rejections in the wake of the Roslyn scandal and rising taxes. Baldwin school officials attributed the 6.2 percent budget increase to a slew of state mandated expenses such as health insurance and state retirement contributions, among others, as well as a new position for a state-mandated internal auditor. In the months leading to the vote, school officials had discussed some additions to the budget, such as two full-time nurses and one part-time nurse for the entire district, as well as additional special education and Academic Intervention Services staff. The budget also includes a 3.5 percent boost in teacher's salaries. The budget would also maintain current programs such as full-day kindergarten and instructional programs. Baldwin school officials said that if the budget were to have been defeated twice, the Board of Education would be required to adopt a contingency budget limiting expenditure increases to no more than four percent, in addition to the bond debt. If that happened, officials said that the school board would have been forced to cut $2.1 million from the budget, and make significant reductions to programs, staff and services. Votes for school board candidates were clear on Wednesday, however. Two incumbents, B.A. Schoen and Mary Jo O'Hagan were re-elected to their three year seats, winning over challenger Stanley Gittleman. Library Board of Trustees incumbent Tony Tarantino was re-elected to his seat, over candidate Ethell Smith. The 2006-07 Baldwin Public Library budget passed on Tuesday when voters approved the $3.5 million expenditure.

BELLMORE

- The Bellmore School District passed its 2006-07 budget with 1,021
yes votes and 813 no votes, a 208-vote margin. In all, 55.6 percent of
voters cast their ballots for the budget.

- Incumbents Ted Tanenbaum and Marion Blane ran unopposed and were
re-elected.

In North Bellmore

- The North Bellmore School District passed its 2006-07 budget with
1,542 yes votes and 1,101 no votes, a 441-vote margin. All told, 58.3
percent of voters cast their ballots for the budget.

- Resident Grace Cramsie and incumbents Joseph Perrone and Rosemarie
Coreless ran unopposed for the Board of Education and were elected.

Central High School District

- The Central High School District budget passed, with 5,171 yes votes
and 3,794 no votes.

EAST MEADOW

East Meadow school budget passes by large margin

By Hector Flores

The East Meadow Board of Education's proposed 2006-2007 budget of $149
million passed by an overwhelming number of votes on Tuesday. The
unofficial count in
favor of the budget was 2,338 (59 percent), opposed were 1,598 (41
percent).
Leon Campo, deputy superintendent of the East Meadow School District,
said, "In recent memory this has been the biggest margin of yes votes over
no's. We are gratified for the support of the East Meadow tax payers. We know
that they are highly taxed and we do our best to bring a budget that meets
with their approval knowing that they bear a high tax burden. This shows that
there is a big partnership with the community, and the tax payers have
shown us their support."
According to Campo, the library proposition passed overwhelmingly as
well,

FIVE TOWNS

LPS budget defeated, Hatten, Kaufman win; Prop. 2 fails

By Andrew Coen and Paul Wein
In what has become an expected occurrence, District 15 voters once
again rejected the Lawrence Public School's proposed budget, putting
the district at risk of a fourth consecutive year of austerity.
Residents also voted against Proposition 2, which would have set up a
capital reserve fund to make repairs in the district's buildings.
The two school board seats that were up for grabs were captured by
private-school parents Michael Hatten of Cedarhurst and Uri Kaufman of
Lawrence, giving the non-public-school community a majority on the
board. Hatten defeated challenger Michael Brooks of Cedarhurst 5,365 to
3,673, and Kaufman beat Inwood's Tom Rizzo 4,882 to 4,300.
"I am going to represent the taxpayers of this district and all the
children," Hatten said. "I'm going to be a trustee for everyone."
The $93.1 million budget proposal, a 5.3 percent hike over the current
budget, fell 1,007 votes short of approval, with 3,580 yes votes and
4,587 no's. District officials and the current school board now must
decide whether to offer the same plan, or a modified proposal, in a
re-vote on June 20, or to adopt a contingency budget, which would allow
for an overall increase of no more than 4 percent.
"I am very disappointed," said Lawrence Superintendent Dr. John
Fitzsimons. "I'm not sure what the message is anymore. I give up."
The rejected budget would have meant a tax increase of $223.56 for the
average District 15 homeowner, while a contingency plan would result in
an increase only $21.19 less than that, according to school officials.
If Lawrence is forced to operate on a contingency budget for another
year, some student programs could be at risk, district officials have
said.
Proposition 2 garnered 3,369 votes of approval, and 4,316 no's. Had
voters approved the establishment of a capital reserve fund, district
officials would have earmarked the potential $27.5 million they would
reap from the sale of the former Number One School property for various
building needs throughout the school system. The public still needs to
approve Neuberg Development LLC's proposal to build condominiums on the
site before the district will receive the funds.
The $2.5 million Peninsula Public Library budget proposal, a 3.4
percent increase, passed easily, 5,159 to 2,317. Current library
trustees Janet Schneider of Woodmere and former PPL president Joel
Shiff of Lawrence, ran unopposed and received 2,790 and 2,836 votes,
respectively.

H-W budget passes, incumbents win

By Andrew Coen and Paul Wein
Hewlett-Woodmere voters approved their district's budget proposal on
Tuesday, and re-elected all three incumbents to the school board.
As of 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, the $84.1 million budget had garnered 2,264
yes votes and 1,833 no's.
Incumbents Jill Stern, Steve Witt and Marcy Goldberg all won new terms
as Board of Education trustees, handily defeating the lone challenger
in the at-large race, Dr. Cliff Bryer. Stern earned 2,831 votes;
Goldberg, 2,816; and Witt, 2,586. Bryer earned a total of 1,328 votes.
The approved fiscal plan is 5.98 percent larger than the current
budget of $79.4 million. Its passage means that the average District 14
homeowner will see an increase of roughly 7 percent in taxes, according
to school officials.
"I am very happy that we won," said Jill Stern of the incumbents'
victory. "I'm especially happy that the budget passed by such a large
number."
With the spending plan approved, the district avoids having to revise
it for a re-vote, which occurred last year for the first time since
1995.
Stern, Witt and Goldberg, who in 2003 defeated incumbent trustees
Robert Jay, Elyse Coleman and Stephanie Gallo, ran as a trio in the
interest of maintaining stability on the board. They have said that
either rebuilding or renovating Woodmere Middle School is their No. 1
priority in their next term.
"We're looking forward to getting down to business as soon as
possible," Stern said.

Standardized pressure for 5Ts districts:
New fed. requirements play large role in recent report card results

By Andrew Coen
With standardized testing becoming a part of a student's lives further
and further each year as the "No Child Left Behind Act" gets fully
implemented, local schools are feeling the effects of needing to
perform well in all categories and while high marks were given to most
Five Towns public schools in the annual New York State Department of
Education report cards released in early May, two Lawrence schools were
listed as needing improvement.
Lawrence High School and Lawrence Middle School were listed on the
report cards as not meeting adequate yearly progress in the report
cards due to some students in various categories at the secondary level
for not having the required 95 percent participation rate on
standardized exams set forth by the state. However, the district was
far from alone in being cited for needing improvement with the state
accountability list also including schools in the high performing
districts such as Great Neck, Bethpage and Huntington. Hewlett High
School was taken off the list of schools needing improvement a year
after a reporting error caused them to be included accidentally,
according to district officials.
Lawrence assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction Dr.
Vicki Karant addressed the report cards at the May 9 school board
meeting and described the district as being in good standing despite
the high school and middle school needing improvement in performance.
She pointed out that all elementary schools in the district have met
adequate yearly progress with a near perfect percentage of students
meeting state standards on some of the exams.
The Lawrence Middle School was reported by the state as not meeting
adequate yearly progress due to 8th grade students with disabilities
not meeting the standards on the math and English Language Arts (ELA)
exams, while Lawrence High School was cited for not improving
adequately with the ELA and math exams for all students. Karant said
that she feels many students at the middle school level who enter the
district from other countries do not have enough experience in "rich
vocabulary," which can make taking the ELA exams especially daunting.
"We are addressing that as energetically as we can," said Karant at
the meeting of how they are working hard to improve students vocabulary
at the middle school level.
Karant also pointed out that low performance on state tests at the
middle school level is not un-common and that educators around the
country are seeking ways to combat this. "[Our middle school
performance] is not something to be proud of, but it is a nationally
known fact that middle school scores tend to be suppressed," said
Karant.
In a phone interview, Karant said she along with middle school
principal Dr. Mark Kavarsky have in the last year instituted a
school-wide literacy initiative where they are emphasizing the
importance of reading in every subject as a way to improve performance
on the ELA exams. Karant also said they have assigned case managers to
all at-risk learners and set benchmarks as a way to improve results at
the middle school level. "We have made sure that we've identified every
child that needs academic intervention services," said Karant.
The report card also said Lawrence High School has a 77 percent
graduation rate, but Karant was quick to point out that even though 23
percent of the students from the 2001 cohort did not receive diplomas,
most of them have not dropped out and have remained in school. She also
pointed out that the state is in the process of phasing in the new
minimum regents requirements from 55 to 65 and that many students
scored between 55 and 64, which allows them to get a local diploma.
The report card also highlighted the district's spending per pupil
which for Lawrence is listed at just over $24,000 per child, the
highest in Nassau County. District officials have pointed out that the
spending per pupil number is skewed due to the high amount of money
spent on the high number of non public school students who reside in
the area and are entitled to state mandated special education and
transportation services. The number was a surprise to Inwood's Desiree
Fusco, who recently moved to the area from out of state. "I was
appalled to see Lawrence has the highest per pupil spending," said
Fusco during the May 9 district 15 school board meeting.

Hewlett-Woodmere report card findings

The Hewlett-Woodmere district was reported by the state as being in
good standing with all schools meeting adequate yearly progress. The
positive report comes one year after a reporting error caused Hewlett
High School to cited for not meeting adequate yearly progress even
though they had far exceeded the minimum participation of test takers.
Susan Pratt, Hewlett-Woodmere assistant superintendent for curriculum
and instruction, said in a phone interview she was happy that both
Ogden and Hewlett Elementary Schools had 100 percent participation
rates on the state exams and that the regents diplomas at the high
school continued to rise with 91 percent receiving the degree.
"As our district should, we met all the state objectives," said Pratt.
"When you check over time the achievements are consistent and if
anything moving up."
Pratt said the district addressed the reporting error for high school
participation from a year ago by having extra checks and balances in
place to make sure the participation rates were accurately accounted
for. She said the increasing emphasis on standardized testing, which
for the first time this year, is conducted for students in grades 3 to
8, has made life extremely challenging for administrators and teachers.
"I think we are frustrated with the time and energy being spent [on
standardized testing] that could have been spent in the classroom,"
said Pratt. "To do this every year really doesn't do a whole lot of
good for high performing districts."
Other notables on the report card were Hewlett High School having
amongst the highest percentage of students attending four-year colleges
at 91 percent. The district's spending per pupil is listed as the fifth
highest in Nassau County, at a little over $21,000 per child.
For further information on the report card findings, log onto
www.nysed.gov.

Comments about this story? acoen@liherald.com or 516-569-4000 ext. 210.

FRANKLIN SQUARE/ELMONT

Local school budgets pass

By Brian Zanzonico The three local school district budgets were approved by voters Tuesday night. The Elmont School District's $61 million spending plan passed by a 1,343 - 920 vote margin. In the school board election, Pam Byer defeated Patrick Nicolosi to win the seat vacated by Joy Madera, who opted not to run due to health problems. Newcomer Frank Ragona beat incumbent Ken Williams by 84 votes. The Franklin Square School District avoided a repeat of last year, when the budget was rejected on its first go-round. Franklin Square's $28.9 million spending plan passed by more than 100 votes. Helen Hoffman was victorious over Alan Lahti, winning the school board seat previously occupied by outgoing board member Audrey Hulsart. Pam Margaroli ran unopposed and will take the spot of Dr. Roger Roess, who is retiring. Sewanhaka Central High School District's $134 million budget was approved by more than 500 votes. Comments about this story? Fseditor@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 240.

LONG BEACH

Budgets pass; incumbents re-elected

By Doug Miller The Long Beach tax revolt that school officials have long dreaded seems to have fizzled before it began: voters approved the school and library budgets by wide margins Tuesday, and overwhelmingly returned two incumbents to the school board. The $102 million budget, more than 5 percent larger that the current one, won comfortably in five of the school district's seven voting precincts and was approved by an unofficial total of 2,098 to 1,561. The $2.8 million library budget received even broader support, passing 2,258 to 1,345. The district also received 145 absentee ballots, which had not been tallied as of press time. In the school board race, the incumbents kept the two available seats. Roy Lester was the top vote getter with 2,471 and Franklin Alvarado got 2,377 votes. Joe Sinnona, who ran with the endorsement of the Long Beach Classroom Teachers' Association and the two other school employees' unions, which are each locked in a bitter labor fight with the board, finished out of the money with 1,784. Fran Adelson ran unopposed for the lone available seat on the library board of trustees. The preliminary numbers, without the absentee ballots, had the library budget passing everywhere except the West End, and the school budget losing only there and in Point Lookout. Sinnona finished third in all seven precincts, faring best in the West End, which is where he lives and where his real estate business is headquartered. Alvarado won two precincts in the center of the city, including the vote at Temple Emanu-el, which he carried by eight votes. The other five were carried by Lester. The five board trustees joined Superintendent of Schools Robert Greenberg in applauding the results Tuesday. "I hope this election can bring the groups back together," Alvarado said Tuesday. "I'd like to see us all get behind the message the community sent here." Exactly what that message might be is open to interpretation. Unlike the past three school election cycles, most of the school budgets in Nassau County passed Tuesday. And while Alvarado and, to a greater degree Lester, ran on a platform of pay freezes for the teachers, voters approved a budget that topped $100 million by a very comfortable margin. Lester said the budget's approval has to be seen alongside his and Alvarado's dual landslide, which came after weeks of attacks on the two from the teachers' union. "The message that Franklin and I put out is that this is a responsible budget," Lester said. "But only because we held the line on expenses. People understood that." But Sinnona said the unions' endorsements helped him during this race. "We worked hard on this campaign. The teachers and the labor unions worked hard. Now we have to work to make our schools better." Another of Sinnona's platforms in the campaign was the creation of independent education foundations to help raise funds for education outside of the typical taxes-and-aid model. He was criticized in a recent Herald editorial for making these proposals four years ago but failing to follow through. "I'll be working alongside these winners for a 501-3c," Sinnona said, referring to the chapter of the federal tax code under which such foundations are allowed. "And contrary to your editorial I've been fighting all along. The problem is nobody has been listening. But I'm going to keep fighting. Joe Sinnona does not go quietly into the night."

LYNBROOK

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Lynbrook School Board Results

Lynbrook voters turned out in force to approve the three propositions that were put on the ballot this year. The 2006-07 school budget was passed by a vote of 1,366 to 832. Voters approved of expending $1.04 million from the capital reserve fund by a vote count of 1394 to 616. The proposition to extend the capital reserve fund was passed by a vote count of 1,245 to 635. Incumbent Phyllis Caruso lost her nine-year school board seat to challenger Tom Lynch. Cathy Papandrew kept her seat, winning against challenger Nina Battaglia. East Rockaway The East Rockaway budget passed with a 699 to 652 vote, a close but victorious vote for a district whose first attempt failed during last year's elections Running unopposed, school board President Mary Boccuzzi received 831 votes.

Malverne

The Malverne School District's Proposed Budget of nearly $40 million for 2006-2007 has met with the public's approval by a margin of 42 votes; 755 voting yes, 713 voting no. This means that there will be increased in-house special education offerings, a new curriculum writing program to address various unfunded mandates and no cut in programming. With the 992 votes Marguerite O'Connor received in the uncontested election for her position on the Malverne Board of Education, she will have served the board for near 30 years at the end of her upcoming four year term.

MERRICK

In Merrick

- In one of the largest voter turnouts in years, the Merrick School
District passed its 2006-07 budget with 1,443 yes votes and 810 no
votes, a 633-vote margin. In all, 64 percent of voters cast their
ballots for the budget. Dr. Ranier Melucci, the district
superintendent, called the margin "a convincing statement of support,"
adding, "We're very, very happy."
- Board of Education Trustees Susan Schwartz, Diane Seaman and Dr.
Nancy Kaplan all ran unopposed and were re-elected.

In North Merrick

- The North Merrick School District passed its 2006-07 budget with
1,620 yes votes and 999 no votes, a 621-vote margin. All told, 61.8
percent of voters cast their ballots for the budget.
- Board of Education Trustee Alyse Middendorf ran unopposed and was
elected.
- In Bellmore-Merrick's only contested trustee election, lifelong
North Merrick resident Anne Ruvolo defeated Michael Kavanagh with 1,114
votes to his 773, a 341-vote margin. Ruvolo took 59 percent of the
vote.
- In a landslide, a community-driven proposition that would have
returned control of the North Merrick Library to the school district
failed, with 2,329 no votes and 344 yes votes.

In the High School District

- The Central High School District budget passed, with 5,171 yes votes
and 3,794 no votes.

- The Central High School District budget School Vote 2006

OCEANSIDE/ISLAND PARK

* The following are the results of the votes for the Oceanside and Island Park School districts and libraries. * Oceanside School District Budget: Yes: 1,898 No: 1,747 Board: Al Lyson (unopposed): 2,130 Kim Garrity: 2,455 * Oceanside Library Budget: Yes: 1,917 No: 1,425 * Island Park School District Budget: Yes: 605 No: 481 Board: Jo-Ellen Sarnelli: 644 Elen Levitt: 436 Transportation proposition: Yes: 621 No: 518 * Island Park Library Budget: Yes: 634 No: 436 - Board: (Unopposed) Tom McCreight: 694

ROCKVILLE CENTRE

School, library budgets approved in RVC

By Jacquie Rath Rockville Centre residents took to the polls on May 16 to vote on the 2006-07 school budget. The budget was approved by voters - 2,397 votes were cast for approval, and 2,032 votes were logged against. "This was the biggest crowd we've had in the 16 years I've been here," said School District Clerk Cynthia Geones. Over 4,500 villagers voted this year, compared to 2,777 in 2005 and 1,329 in 2004. "We added extra booths and log books this year because the turnout was expected to be so large." "I would like to thank the community for their support of education," said Superintendent of RVC Schools Dr. William Johnson. "It would have been tragic if we had to make decisions about opportunities for the students in Rockville Centre." Additionally, both Lorrie Brady and Mark Masin, who ran unopposed for seats on the RVC Board of Education will be returning to the board in 2006-07. Both will serve three year terms. Brady received 2,696 votes and Masin received 2,091. "I am very happy about the results," said Brady who is currently the president of the RVC Board of Education. "I would like to thank the people of Rockville Centre for their continued support of our efforts." Also approved was a non-binding referendum to charge not-for-profit organizations for use of school district facilities. The district already charges other groups a use fee. The Rockville Centre Library Budget for 2006-07 was also approved by a vote of 2,587 to 1,723. Incumbent library board member Eileen Burke Bucaria will return to the board for another three year term, and she will be joined by Barbara Morrissey who will fill the seat vacated by Michael Shenker. Burke Bucaria received 2,154 votes and Morrissey received 2,021. Unsuccessful candidate Bernard Mann received 857 votes, while William Victor received 582.

VALLEY STREAM

School budgets OK'd

Capital reserve fund gets voters' approval

By Nicole Falco There were no defeats or even slim margins this time around. Valley Stream voters approved the budgets proposed in Districts 13, 24 and 30 and the Central High School District, leaving no room for dispute. Proposition 3, which called for the creation of a capital reserve fund in the high school district, also passed. In fact, after two straight years in which a record number of fiscal plans were voted down on the first try, including District 13's, budgets passed in nearly 90 percent of the county's 56 school districts on Tuesday. High School District The majority of voters in all three elementary districts cast ballots in favor of the High School District's $86.8 million budget, an increase of almost 6 percent over the current spending plan. Of 4,490 ballots cast, 56 percent supported the budget. Dr. Marc Bernstein, the high school superintendent, couldn't have been happier with the results. He attributed the budget's success to a $1.4 million, or 10 percent, state aid increase, which helped reduce the tax rate, a prudent spending plan and increased community outreach: District officials attended about a dozen community meetings to explain the budget and the capital reserve fund. And that outreach wasn't only about the budget. In the two weeks leading up to the vote, more than 800 residents turned out at North High School for District 13's Relay For Life to benefit the American Cancer Society, raising nearly $90,000. And the Keller Auditorium at Central High School was filled to capacity for last Thursday's community forum, "Think Globally, Act Locally." "The bottom line is, I think, people are generally happy with our schools in Valley Stream," Bernstein said. "When people are getting a good shake, I think they tend to be more supportive." The district can now go ahead with plans to create five new teaching positions, expand its science research program, buy new textbooks and complete capital improvements, including audio system upgrades and a partial roof replacement at Central High School. As for the effect on their wallets, the average District 13 homeowner will see a tax decrease of $205 on the high school portion of his or her tax bill. The average District 24 homeowner will see a $125 increase, and the average District 30 homeowner will see a $274 increase. Voters also approved the creation of a capital reserve fund. Fifty-seven percent - or 2,552 - voted in favor of the fund, which will be used to finance major projects that might otherwise have required bond referendums. The district can now add year-end budget surpluses or unexpected increases in revenue to the reserve fund, up to a total of $7 million, plus interest, over the next seven years. Voter approval is required for the money to be spent. After seven years, any leftover money can be used to offset a tax levy increase, or the district can ask the community to establish another reserve fund. District 13 There is no need for a revote or contingency plans this year in District 13 to the relief of Superintendent Dr. Elizabeth Lison. "I did not want [budget rejection] to become a pattern," Lison Wednesday morning. "I'm hopeful the pattern is broken and it's because every segment of the community worked together." Fifty-five percent of voters - 1,511 - favored the budget. It calls for $36.27 million in expenditures, an increase of 6.5 percent over this year's budget. Though residents may be feeling the pinch of Long Island's high tax burden and ever-increasing gas prices, most felt that their children's education was worth the price. "I'm voting yes," said Chris Casalo, who was at James A. Dever School on Tuesday evening to support the budget. "My kids are in Valley Stream schools, and I have some who will be going soon, so why should they be penalized for high taxes? That's the price you pay to live on Long Island." Also voting at Dever, Jane Bader said she approaches the voting booth with the insight of both a resident and school employee. "I've been on both sides of the fence, as a teacher and a taxpayer," said Bader. "I worked in a district that had to go on austerity, and it's terrible." For the average home in District 13, there will be a $187 increase on the elementary portion of its tax bill. The district plans to add three new teaching positions next year as well as a part-time custodial position at Howell Road. There are also several capital projects planned throughout the district, including phase II of the three-phase parking lot renovation at Howell Road, a partial roof replacement at Dever, and new tile flooring for the Wheeler Avenue music room. District 24 In District 24, 59 percent of voters - a total of 569 - gave their nod to the $23.2 million spending plan, which is a budget-to-budget increase of almost 5 percent. Still, the average District 24 homeowner will see a decrease of $26 on the elementary portion of his or her tax bill. "I'm pleased with the budget that we were able to bring to the district," said Superintendent Dr. Edward Fale. "It maintains our programs of excellence in both instructional and outdoor education. I'm thankful for the continued support, and for the vote of confidence that the school district has shown us." Fale also expressed his thanks to state Sen. Dean Skelos and Assemblyman Bob Barra. This year's state aid package included a $500,000 increase for the district. The $3.7 million package promised to the district allowed it to reduce its tax levy increase from 4.7 percent to 2.1 percent. In fact, all four Valley Stream districts received greater than anticipated state aid increases. Filippa Verde was one district resident who turned out to support the budget. "We always vote for the budget because we have a son who is a school teacher," she said. "It's important for the children. If we want good schools in the neighborhood, then we have to pass the budget. I know our taxes go up, and that's life." New initiatives voters can expect to see next year include a speech pathologist to assist with a language-based kindergarten section, and roof repairs at the Robert W. Carbonaro and William L. Buck schools. Though District 24's budget passed by an overwhelming majority overall, there were razor-thin three-vote differences reported at the Brooklyn Avenue School and the Corona Avenue Firehouse. "I'm so shocked that the numbers are so close," said resident Marijo Sensale. District 30 Before going into the Shaw Avenue School to vote Tuesday evening, Kathy Minori said, "I know that the administration is trying to tighten up. I'm hoping the school budget does get passed for the sake of the kids." The 35-year District 30 resident had little to worry about. Of the four school budgets, District 30's was approved by the widest margin. A total of 590 votes - 63 percent of the total - supported the $26.1 million spending plan, a 6.4 percent increase over the current budget. The average homeowner will see a $63 increase on the elementary portion of his or her tax bill. The budget includes plans to purchase new history reading materials; to continue the Saturday Academy to help students improve their reading, writing and listening skills for the state's English Language Arts exam; to hire an internal auditor, and to replace the electrical infrastructure at the Clear Stream Avenue school. Trustee election results All four candidates for school board in Valley Stream ran unopposed. In District 13, Trustees Bill Stris and Jeanne Greco Jacobs were re-elected to three-year terms with 1,455 and 1,782 votes, respectively. Joseph Conrad was re-elected to a three-year term in District 24 with 575 votes. In District 30, Keith Cummings was elected to his first full five-year term with 576 votes. Hewlett-Woodmere results Hewlett-Woodmere voters approved their district's budget proposal and re-elected all three incumbents to the school board. The $84.1 million budget garnered 2,264 yes votes and 1,833 no's. Incumbents Jill Stern, Steve Witt and Marcy Goldberg all won new terms as Board of Education trustees, handily defeating the lone challenger in the at-large race, Dr. Cliff Bryer. Stern earned 2,831 votes; Goldberg, 2,816; and Witt, 2,586. Bryer earned a total of 1,328 votes. Mike Schnitzel, Anne Marie Allocca and Andrew Coen contributed to this story.

West Hempstead

In the West Hempstead School District there was what some would say, a surprising outcome. Although the library budget had met with dissatisfaction from community members in recent weeks, that budget passed with 1,090 votes. There were 1,056 votes to fail the library budget. Meanwhile, the School District's Proposed Budget of nearly $48 million, which met with little to no opposition during public hearings and board of education meetings, failed by 203 votes (1,004 yes votes, 1,207 no votes). Superintendent of West Hempstead Schools Carol D. Eisenberg said, " I'm despondent -- very disappointed and dismayed. This should not have happened. Our budget to budget increase was only 5.3 percent and the rest was the library bond." In order to decide what happens from this point on, the Board of Education will meet tomorrow night, May 18, to decide on one of three possible courses of action: go immediately to a contingency budget, which means cutting people, programs and services; making changes to the proposed budget; or putting up the same proposed budget again to be voted on. Eisenberg continued, "This is very disheartening and a detriment to the homeowners and the community. We've had many budget meetings, we have an open board with open dialogue -- this should not have happened." Additionally, a proposition for busing presented to the district by PTA members, failed 1,163 votes to 913 votes. The proposition was for uniformity in the mileage in West Hempstead for grades K-5. Currently, the district's policy provides busing for students in grades K-3 outside of 3/4 mile, outside a mile for students in grades 4 and 5 and outside of 1 1/2 miles for students in grades 8-12. The petition proposed that mileage be rolled back to 3/4 a mile across the board, K-5. Uncontested elections for the Board of Education saw 1,186 votes for Carole Rilling and 1,202 for James Mariano. Both have been on the board for 12 years.