School Vote 2018: East Meadow's Budget and BOE Candidates

On May 15, voters in East Meadow will head to the polls to decided whether or not to approve the school district's budget, elect members to the Board of Education, and decide on two ballot initiatives.

The district's proposed 2018-19 budget is $203.75 million, an increase of slightly less than $4 million from the current spending plan. It carries with it a tax levy increase of 2.97 percent, which is within the district's Tax Cap limit.

Part of the budget proposal includes increased security for the district. If the spending plan is approved, each school would get its own security guard, and there would be another security guard that would move between buildings.

There are two seats on the Board of Education up for vote this year. Incumbents Brian O’Flaherty and Melissa Tell are running for their seats again. They are being challenged by Eileen Napolitano and Joseph Danenzafor, respectively.

The first proposition residents will vote on will be to establish a capital reserve fund, which is a savings account for the district. The fund would not exceed $12.8 million over a 10-year period, and would give the district money to spend in case of emergencies.

The other proposition would change the way the district holds elections, starting in 2019. Under the current system, a Board of Education candidate has to declare a seat they are running for. The proposition would change the district's elections to an at-large system. Under that system, if there are two seats open, whichever two candidates receive the most votes would win.

Residents who are registered to vote can cast their ballots between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. at their local elementary school. For more information, contact the district clerk at 516-478-5746.

Photo: Patch