Community Corner

Northport, Elwood Budgets Pass With Supermajority

School districts celebrated as voters gave a stamp of approval Tuesday night.

Both the Northport-East Northport and Elwood school district budgets passed with a supermajority Tuesday night.

Voters passed Northport's $156,596,051 budget 1,931 to 1,057, a 64 percent supermajority. It represents a 1.98 percent increase in the tax levy.

A proposition for capital improvements to all of Northport school district's ten buildings was also passed 2,350 to 614.

Board of Education trustees Andrew Rapiejko, Lori McCue and Julia Binger ran unopposed and were reelected to three-year terms.

BOE President Stephen Waldenburg said voter turnout was meager, but positive.

Vice President Jennifer Thompson added, "I think the 64 percent at least represents that the work that we did to talk, to examine, to challenge means that the people who did come out to vote appreciated the work we did and the support the budget the board put out to the public."

Trustee Joe Sabia took a different view.

"It's kind of a disgrace when you get 4,000 votes out of 28,000 voters," he said.
"It doesn't matter how the election goes, but I think we should have gotten at least 20,000 votes coming to support the school system."

United Teachers of Northport President Antoinette Blanck said the night was bittersweet.

"It's certainly unfortunate that we are losing teachers despite the fact that the budget is a good one," Blanck said. "The question that remains is whether the excessing of our teachers is based on enrollment solely or enrollment and financial, but certainly the explanation has been given that it's based on enrollment. I think had the economy been a little different and we could increase a little bit more perhaps some of the excessing might not have taken place."

In Elwood, voters passed the $57,035,292 budget 970 to 528, a 65 percent majority. It represents a 3.18 percent increase in the tax levy.

Board of Education Trustee Andrew Kaplan ran unopposed and was reelected to a three-year term.

"We had a good show of support and we appreciate that," said Board of Education President Joe Fusaro. Fusaro said that, under the passed budget, the district will see increases in program and security.

"We also got a top notch administrator on the board which we're going to need with all the new mandates of APPR and curriculum alignment," he said.

Superintendent Peter Scordo added, "We worked very hard to keep the budget under the cap. We were successful and our community rewarded us with a passed budget."


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