UPDATE: West Hempstead Voters Brave Weather

The first handful of voters hit the polls early in West Hempstead despite the brutal rains and flooding conditions on some roads.

Resident Jim Gooch was one of the first voters to arrive at West Hempstead Middle School after polls opened at 6 a.m. Goch said he regularly opposes the budget.

"Taxes," he said are his reason for voting 'no.'  "Administrative costs are too high."

Marty Dugan was also among the roughly eight voters who came in during the first half hour. Dugan also opposed the budget, saying the board needs to prioritize its spending.

"We shouldn't be spending money on things like shop teachers when we need
teachers for math, science and English," he said  "I'd like parents of music
students to pay more for that. Parents from the football team should pay more
for that."

Manny Martinez, another early voter, said he voted 'yes,' but added that he is not a
rubber stamp for the board.

"It's good for the community," he said. "But I weigh several things, including
the [tax increase] against my raises."

West Hempstead District Clerk Kathryn Girolamo said it can be tough to forecast how the torrential rains might affect voter turnout.

"The last time we had a downpour we had very good turnout," she said.

UPDATE: By 3 p.m., the rain had abated,while turnout - and support for the budget -picked up.

Parent Barbara Schreck said she "absolutely" voted yes.

"One of the things I'm worried about is the sports," she said. "I know that
sounds like a small thing, but they've alredy cut so much to get to the budget
we're at now."

Brian Thau said the board won his support.

"This is a very different budget than past years. They did a much better job,"
Thau said. "This is a lean budget."

Stay tune to Patch for more coverage of the West Hempstead and Malverne school budget and board votes.