Schools
Northport School Voters Pass Budget and Prop
Voters approve $153.9 million budget and capital improvement proposition; Badanes and Maloney join Waldenburg on Board.
By a nearly 66 percent margin, Northport voters approved a $153.9 million budget on Tuesday for the 2012-13 school year, which reflects a 1.83 percent budget-to-budget increase over last year. The final tally was 2,826-1,461.
The tax levy is 1.68 percent, well under the two percent tax cap. The estimated tax rate for residents is 1.72 percent which translates to $165.24 per $100 of assessed value.
By a vote of 3,433-806, residents also approved a proposition to spend a maximum of $845,000 from two capital reserve funds: $202,573 from the Capital Reserve Fund established in 1997 and $642,427 from the Reserve established in 2008 for the replacement of the univents at East Northport and Northport Middle Schools; and the replacement of two boilers with gas conversion and associated mechanical systems at Bellerose Avenue Elementary School.
Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Board President Stephen Waldenburg, Jr. was re-elected to the board for a fourth term, winning 2,965 votes. Newcomers David Badanes, a local attorney, and Jim Maloney garnered 2,754 and 2,638 votes respectively for the remaining two open seats, ousting current Board VP Donna McNaughton, who received 2,484 votes.
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Find out what's happening in Northportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
"I'm very happy that the community came out so strongly in favor of this budget," Waldenburg said after the results were announced. "I'm saddened to see Trustee McNaughton leave. She has given herself tirelessly to this district. I will miss her. But at the same time I'm looking forward to working with the two new trustees."
Superintendent Marylou McDermott thanked the community as well for supporting the budget by such a wide margin.
Badanes said it was an honor to serve. "I'll do my best to represent the community," Badanes said. "As I've said before, I don't pretend to have all the answers but I will ask all the questions."
An upbeat Maloney said, "I'm looking forward to the learning experience to come in the next three years."
Final results were announced more than an hour after polls closed at 9 p.m.
"This is not the fastest technology but it's what we have," Waldenburg said, referring to the new voting machines, which required voters to fill in circles using a special pen, and then have their ballots scanned. Election workers at the said one of the two machines kept jamming, but were repeatedly cleared by two people from the Board of Elections throughout the day.
