North Shore

VOTING

7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday at North Shore High School.

THE BUDGET

The district proposes a $102,113,515 budget for 2017-18, a 2.63 percent increase from the current $99,494,105. The tax levy would decrease by 0.01 percent, from $84,498,091 to $84,488,575.

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

Taxes on an average single-family house would decrease by 3.47 percent, from $10,841 to $10,465.

Teacher salary increases are subject to negotiations later this year. The district plans to add three part-time staff members — one to teach music theory, one maintenance worker and one clerical employee — and one full-time guidance counselor.

A proposition seeks authorization to reduce the distance at which seventh- and eighth-graders are eligible for public transportation from 1.5 miles to 1 mile, at no additional cost to the district.

• District website: northshoreschools.org

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Joanna Commander and candidates Cheryl Brown and Richard Galati are running for two at-large seats. Terms are three years.

Cheryl Brown

BACKGROUND: Brown, 45, is a teacher in the Islip school district. She received her bachelor’s degree from York College of Pennsylvania and her master’s degree in reading from Dowling College. She is a delegate for the Islip Teachers’ Association and co-chair of the association’s political action committee. She has three children attending schools in the district.

ISSUES : Brown said the district needs to address opiate addiction. “We need to ramp up the education, teaching them about the dangers of drugs at an earlier age,” she said. Brown said drug-sniffing dogs should be brought into schools outside of school hours. The district also needs extra money from the state to make up for the decommissioning of the Long Island Power Authority power plant in Glenwood Landing, within district boundaries. Brown said the district should continue to offer the International Baccalaureate program. “IB is the gold standard. It’s a good thing,” she said.

Joanna Commander

BACKGROUND: Commander, 69, is a retired school administrator. She has a bachelor’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University, a master’s degree in health education from Adelphi University and a certificate in administration and supervision from St. John’s University.

ISSUES: Commander said the most important issues in the district are obtaining outside funding to make up for lost property tax revenue from the decommissioning of the LIPA plant and combating opiate addiction. Commander said she wants the state or county to phase out the loss of revenue from the power plant: “If that came at us all at once, the tax implication would be unbelievable,” she said. On the battle against opiate addiction, the district can take a leading role in a coalition to involve the whole community, she said. “You need everybody’s effort,” Commander said. She said she also would like to come up with a funding source for charter schools that doesn’t take funding away from public schools.

Richard Galati

BACKGROUND: Galati, 59, is a former North Shore High School science teacher who retired in 2016 after teaching for 31 years. He received his bachelor’s degree from Colgate University and his master’s degree in science education from the University of Miami. He was the coordinator of student extracurricular activities for the entire district for 27 years. He was chief negotiator for the teachers’ union contract in 2008 for the district and instituted the high school’s Advanced Placement physics class. His four children attended district schools.

ISSUES: Galati said the district is going through a major transition with retirements and departures of key administrators. “I could help smooth things in the transition because I’m so familiar with the district and the community,” he said. Galati said the board needs to be vigilant to keep additional funding flowing to the district to offset revenue lost from the LIPA plant decommissioning. He said he wants to reinstate Advanced Placement courses that were eliminated when the district added International Baccelaureate classes. “This way, students have a choice of what they want to do at that level,” Galati said.