Quogue school district

VOTING

2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Quogue School library.

THE BUDGET

The district proposes an $8,341,716 budget for 2018-19, a 3.5 percent increase from the current $8,059,754. The tax levy would increase 3.39 percent, from $7,160,077 to $7,402,458.

This increase is equal to the district’s tax-cap limit of 3.39 percent, so a simple majority is required to approve the budget.

School taxes on the average single-family home would rise 3.37 percent, from $1,946.50 to $2,012.10.

The proposed budget has a 1.5 percent salary increase for teachers and an average step increase of 3.3 percent. Funds for an additional reading teacher are included.

District website:

quogueschool.com

THE CANDIDATES

Incumbent Hector Joseph Silva and candidate Timothy Carbone are vying for one at-large seat. The term is three years.

Timothy Carbone

BACKGROUND: Carbone, 65, is a former Quogue teacher who retired in 2014, a ski instructor and the manager of The Surf Club of Quogue. He earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education at Plymouth State College and is a former president of the Quogue Teachers Association. He has two children who attended district schools before going on to Westhampton Beach schools.

ISSUES: Carbone said he wants to stay involved with the school and will tap his expertise if he is elected. “I was a teacher at the Quogue School for 39 years and have a deep attachment to the school, students, staff and community,” Carbone said. “A good education for every kid is important, whatever their issues or background. Our students always did well when they went on to high school, and I hope to see it continue on that path.”

Hector Joseph Silva

BACKGROUND: Silva, who declined to give his age, is a retired administrator in the Brentwood district, where he serves as a superintendent hearing officer. He also served as a Marine. He has a bachelor’s degree in education from SUNY Plattsburgh, a master’s degree in counseling and guidance from LIU Post and a professional diploma in school administration from Hofstra University. He is seeking his second term.

ISSUES: Installing the latest security technology and implementing practices that secure students’ safety are important items for the district to continue working on, he said, noting safety items such as the closed-circuit TV and electrically controlled entrance doors. He also wants to work on ways to reduce the number of students who opt out of standardized testing and to consider options for replacing the school’s slate roof, he noted.