Long Island

VGBABYSG

School advocates said Wednesday that 90-percent-plus passing rates in statewide budget elections prove voters want to decide for themselves how education dollars are spent. 
Their main point: Maintaining local control is better than the 2 percent property-tax cap proposed by Gov. Andrew M. <a href="/topics/Andrew_Cuomo">Cuomo</a> to curb school spending. 
"We already have a democratic process for capping property taxes, and it works pretty well," said Richard Iannuzzi, president of the 600,000-member <a href="/topics/New_York_State_United_Teachers">New York State United Teachers</a> union. 
Iannuzzi, who taught in <a href="/topics/Central_Islip%2C_NY">Central Islip</a>, noted that school spending increases have slowed in recent years, both statewide and on Long Island. He called Cuomo's tax-cap plan "ill-conceived." 
Not surprisingly, the governor drew a different conclusion from Tuesday's vote. Island residents approved all but five of 124 district budgets -- a 96 percent passage rate. 
"I think the message is getting out," Cuomo said Wednesday. "We've reined in state spending. We now have to rein in local government and school spending. I think you saw that in a lot of these school district budgets." 
On the Island, the average budget will rise less than the 2.3 percent inflation rate next year, as districts trim staffs and unions agree to salary concessions. But taxes will increase nearly 4 percent to make up for cuts in state school aid. 
In the <a href="/topics/William_Floyd">William Floyd</a> district -- to cite the most dramatic example -- voters on Tuesday narrowly agreed to a 12.47 percent hike in next year's taxes. That's on top of an 8.53 percent increase this year. 
School advocates cite voters' action as evidence that they will accept higher taxes to save music classes, sports and other popular programs. Residents would resent any state attempt to dictate how much they can spend, advocates add. 
"Do they want to pay higher taxes? No, they don't," said Wendell Chu, superintendent of <a href="/topics/East_Islip%2C_NY">East Islip</a> schools. "But when they're given a choice of higher taxes or cuts in programs, they're voting against cuts in programs." 
Relatively few people actually voted, however. The 288,590 who participated on the Island on Tuesday represented less than 16 percent of voters in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> counties, according to April 1 figures on registered voters from the state Board of Elections. 
Tax activists contend voters are discouraged by state rules that sharply limit the amount of money saved when school budgets are rejected. 
"Most people don't even want to bother anymore," said Fred Gorman of <a href="/topics/Nesconset%2C_NY">Nesconset</a>, organizer of a regional tax group, Long Islanders for Educational Reform. "You've got to listen to the governor -- he's absolutely right." 
Cuomo's proposed 2-percent limit would kick in during the 2012-13 school year. The only costs exempted from the cap would be for construction and legal settlements. The cap could be overridden by vote of the local governing board and a 60 percent majority in a local referendum. 
The <a href="/topics/U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a>-led Senate has passed the governor's bill. The Assembly, controlled by <a href="/topics/U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>, has not taken it up, but has promised to introduce its own version soon. 
Some school officials such as Joseph Laria, who is <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a>'s superintendent, think a cap might work, if exemptions are added for such costs as state-mandated pensions and health care. Laria notes that his colleagues managed to find savings when state fiscal pressures demanded it. 
"Isn't it interesting," he said, "that when our backs were to the wall, we all tightened our belts and made do with less, and people supported our budgets."

Education

LISKUL19

School advocates: Results rebut guv plan

School District Budget voting

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Amityville%2C_NY">AMITYVILLE</a> 
Vote Approved, 939-385 
Budget $77,612,773, a 0.66% increase 
Tax levy $51,404,045, a 3% increase 
Average home Increase 3% from $4,993 to $5,143. With $350,000 as the estimated market value, the assessed value of a home in the part of the district in the Town of <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">Babylon</a> is $3,675; the assessed value of a home in the part of the district in the Town of <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Oyster_Bay%2C_NY">Oyster Bay</a> is $1,015. 
School board Mark Epps (790) defeated incumbent Charles Walters (522); Ronald A. Moss (770) defeated incumbent Diane M. Koza Egglinger (556); incumbent Lisa Johnson ran unopposed. Terms are three years.

News

VGAMIT15

Amityville School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">BABYLON</a> 
Vote Approved, 981-524 
Budget $46,086,988, a 2.66% increase 
Tax levy $35,298,246, a 2.86% increase 
Average home Assessed at $4,299 increases 2.86% to $8,246 
School board Gregory Antolini (935), Dominick M. Montalto Jr. (915), Alena J. Berenblatt (859) and incumbent Roger A. Katz (786) defeated Pauline Cimaszewski (695) and John Savoca (659) for four seats. Antolini, Montalto and Berenblatt have three-year terms; Katz serves a one-year term caused by incumbent Catherine Vukovich leaving her seat prematurely.

VGBABY15

Babylon School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Copiague%2C_NY">COPIAGUE</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,122-507 
Budget $101,902,840, a 1.39% increase 
Tax levy $53,974,654, a 2.97% increase 
Average home Increases to $6,240.28 
School board Incumbents Rosemary Natoli and Brian Sales were unopposed for three-year terms.

VGCOPI15

Copiague School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Deer_Park%2C_NY">DEER PARK</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,362-634 
Budget $97,801,071, a 2.72% increase 
Tax levy $62,009,945, a 2.38% increase 
Average home Assessed at $5,000 increases 3.47% to $8,885. 
School board Incumbent Ronald Wayne and Donna Gulli Grunseich ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGDEER15

Deer Park School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">FARMINGDALE</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,988-1,181 
Budget $146,957,711, a 1.34% decrease 
Tax levy $112,296,282, a 2.52% increase 
Average home Not available 
Proposition Approved, 2,044-1,015, for <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> Youth Council appropriation. 
School board Incumbents John E. Capobianco and Stephen G. Wilson ran unopposed for three-year terms.

VGFARM15

Farmingdale School District

HALF HOLLOW HILLS 
Vote Approved, 1,748-1,110 
Budget $215,978,880, a 3.89% increase 
Tax levy $178,147,658, a 4.94% increase 
Average home Assessed at $5,500 will increase 4.94% to $9,774, the district estimates. 
School board Diana Acampora (1,613), Betty DeSabato (1,655) and Paul Peller (1,558) beat Maria Holmquist (1,515) and Christopher Schiavo (1,120) for three seats with three-year terms.

VGHALF15

Half Hollow Hills School District

<a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Lindenhurst%2C_NY">LINDENHURST</a> 
Vote Approved, 2,154-2,026 
Budget $140,152,477, a 2.23% increase 
Tax levy $86,809,726, a 6.89% increase 
Average home Assessed at $4,000 increases 6.89% to $7,740.42 
School board Incumbent Edward J. Murphy Jr. (1,826) defeated Charles M. Clyne (1,354); Julie Ann Bartolomeo (1,551) defeated incumbent Robert F. Spero (1,251); Valerie McKenna (1,795) won over Philip Renna (1,522). Terms are three years.

VGLIND15

Lindenhurst School District

NORTH <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">BABYLON</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,787-809 
Budget $103,659,700, a 3.27% decrease 
Tax levy $56,468,937, a 3.33% increase 
Average home Assessed at $3,700 increases 3.96%, to $6,336.32. 
School board Incumbent Barbara Ferguson (980) defeated Greg Hartranft (830); Robert Scheid (717) defeated Theresa Callahan (606), Heather Rowland (622) and Debra Simpson (272); incumbents Barbara Leun and Janet Meyerson ran unopposed. Terms are three years.

VGNBAB15

North Babylon School District

WEST <a href="http://www.newsday.com/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">BABYLON</a> 
Vote Approved, 1,546-962 
Budget $93,975,510, a .89% increase 
Tax levy $62,178,165, a 6.46% increase 
Average home Assessed at $5,000 increases 6.46% to $9,101.24 
School board Cathy Gismervik (1,496), James F. Bocca (1,388) and Diane Thiel (1,685) defeated incumbent Lucy Campasano (1,262) for three seats with three-year terms.

VGWBAB15

West Babylon School District

Babylon school districts

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