Bay Shore school district

VOTING

6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday at Bay Shore High School’s gym lobby.

THE BUDGET

The district proposes a $155,847,443 budget for 2018-19, a 2.54 percent increase from the current $151,988,797. The tax levy would rise 2.35 percent, from $104,247,009 to $106,695,184.

This increase is equal to the district’s tax-cap limit of 2.35 percent, so a simple majority will be required to approve the budget.

School taxes on the average single-family home would increase 2.37 percent, from $7,592 to $7,772.

The proposed budget includes salary increases for teachers. The district said “actual increases vary significantly depending on the number of years in the district.”

The spending plan calls for the addition of four security staff and approximately four teachers of English as a New Language.

District website:

bayshore.k12.ny.us

THE CANDIDATES

Three candidates are running for two at-large seats. Incumbents Craig Brewer and Susan Gargan are seeking re-election, and Michael Ruggiere is making his second bid for the board. Terms are three years.

Craig Brewer

BACKGROUND: Brewer, 44, is a lifelong Bay Shore resident and Bay Shore High School graduate. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University and owns an education business that brings international high school students to the United States for educational and cultural programs. He is active in the Bay Shore Brightwaters Little League and St. Patrick’s CYO. His five children attend district schools. Brewer is seeking his second term on the board.

ISSUES: Brewer said he would focus on testing, statewide education issues and student safety if re-elected. He did not return calls seeking additional comment.

Susan Gargan

BACKGROUND: Gargan, 49, is a school administrator with Eastern Suffolk BOCES. A lifelong Bay Shore resident, she graduated from Bay Shore High School. She received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education/special education from St. Joseph’s University, a master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Stony Brook University and two permanent educational administrative certifications. She is a member of several professional organizations. Her two daughters attend district schools. She is seeking her second term on the board.

ISSUES: Gargan said she will continue working to maintain and enhance school programs under the tax cap and work to ensure student safety. In addition, she said it’s important to maintain the district’s high graduation rate, especially considering state test standards that can be inappropriately implemented. “I will make sure we implement it in the best way possible to maintain our high standards,” Gargan said. “We need to stay true to educating the whole child and making them college- and career-ready.”

Michael J. Ruggiere

BACKGROUND: Ruggiere, 27, a lifelong Bay Shore resident, is an actor at Guild Hall, a co-host at iRadiousa and a sales rep at Your Trike Spirit. He earned his fine arts degree from the School of Visual Arts and a certificate in media journalism from the Connecticut School of Broadcasting’s Westbury campus. His father is a retired Selden Middle School teacher, and his mother works at Little Flower Union Free School District. He is a board member and dance captain of the Gilbert & Sullivan Yiddish Light Opera Company of Long Island, a member of Bay Shore’s Hibernian Festival Singers and a board member of the Metropolitan Greek Chorale. He ran last year for a seat on the board.

ISSUES: Ruggiere said he would work to improve communication between the district and the public and to not only make sure protocols for student safety are in place but to communicate that to the public. He said he also would help the district develop digital outreach to communicate better with parents who aren’t able to get to meetings, and with parents whose first language is not English.