Valley Stream school budgets win wide approvals

The ballots have been counted across Valley Stream school districts. This year, voters approved all school districts' spending plans. Here are the detailed results of the 2022-2023 school budget and trustee elections:  

Valley Stream Union Free School District 24

The proposed Valley Stream District 24  budget - $33,977,966 total - passed 454 to 265. The proposed tax levy – the money collected through property taxes – increased by 1.5% percent totaling $22.3 million.

In the three contested trustee races,  incumbents won in a clean sweep.  Incumbent John Maier was re-elected for his fourth term, defeating challenger Cristina Arroyo. Maier earned 576 votes to Arroyo's 291 votes. 

Incumbent Markus Wilson was elected for a full term, after being appointed by the board to fill Joseph Shipley’s vacant seat following his resignation in 2020. He successfully fended off challenger Meaghan Fleming with 586 votes. Fleming obtained 248. 

Incumbent Kimberly Wheeler was re-elected for her third term, defeating challenger Cynthia Nuñez with 540 votes. Cynthia Nuñez earned 298. 

Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 

The proposed Valley Stream District 13  budget - $58,545,088 total - passed 956 to 674. The proposed tax levy – the money collected through property taxes – increased by 1.5% percent totaling $38.6 million. 

In one of two contested trustee races, incumbent Milagros Vicente was successfully able to fend off her challenger Michael Morin for her seat. She was re-elected for a third term with a vote of 960. Morin obtained 481 votes. 

Newcomer Vincent Caposio won a decisive victory against challenger William (Bill) Freda for the open contested seat of Antoinette (Toni Pomerantz).  Caposio won 1,032 votes. Freda obtained 423. 

Valley Stream Union Free School District 30

The proposed Valley Stream District 30 budget - $41,832,912 total - passed  266 to 135.  The proposed tax levy was flat from the current year's budget of $22.8 million.

Also on the ballot was a proposition asking voters to earmark $9.5 million from the capital reserves fund to finance the installation of air conditioning in all three schools: Clear Stream Avenue School, Forest Road School, and Shaw Avenue School.  The proposition passed 315 to 87. 

Incumbent Sandra Okafor, who ran unopposed, has been elected for a full term with 267 votes. Okafor was previously appointed by the board in 2019 to fill Matthew Khan’s vacant seat, following his resignation.

Central High School District

The proposed Central High School district budget -  $138,493,603 total - passed 1,721 to 1,143. The proposed tax levy was flat from the current year's budget of $87.9 million.

Also on the ballot was a proposition asking voters to earmark $4 million from the existing fund balance for the installation of air conditioning in classrooms, including all associated labor, materials, equipment, apparatus and incidental costs. The proposition passed 1,877 to 966.

A second proposition earmarks a maximum of $5.9 million from the capital reserve fund for the installation of artificial-turf fields at North and South high schools. The proposition passed 1,803 to 1,005.