Incumbents re-elected, school budget OKd in Lawrence

Voters in Lawrence have re-elected the three school board incumbents and passed the proposed budget for the 2010-11 school year.

In voting Tuesday, incumbent Solomon Blisko held off challenger Jay Silverstein, who filed suit against the district in March claiming he lost his $140,000-a-year guidance director's job because he said the board, made up mostly of orthodox Jews, viewed him as "anti-orthodox."

Rabbi Nahum Marcus beat Nicole Di Iorio, and Annie Reyes lost to David Sussman. Each seat carries a three-year term.

Most school districts will hold elections next Tuesday. The state Education Department allowed Lawrence to hold its elections this week to avoid a conflict with Shavuot, which commemorates the receiving of the Torah. Two other districts in the state also held elections Tuesday.

Lawrence voters also easily approved a school budget for next year of $94,073,064, a 2.61 percent increase over the current budget of $91,680,810. The vote was 3,528 to 2,360.

District officials have declined to provide the projected tax impact for the average house in the district, saying there were too many variables.

The budget includes 4.9 percent contractual and salary step increases for teachers.