MASSAPEQUA, NY — Results are in for the Massapequa school board and school budget election that took place today, and district officials say Cher Lepre and Danielle Ocuto have won reelection to the school board while the district's budget passed.
The budget passed by a 4,712-2,192-vote margin. In the school board election, Lepre and Ocuto defeated challengers Bobby Bonett and Lynn Russo by the following vote totals:
Lepre: 4,532
Ocuto: 4,692
Bonett: 2,227
Russo: 2,309
The $254 million budget signifies a 3.9 percent tax increase, which falls about $1 million shy of the maximum tax increase allowed by the state. The tax-cap limit in Massapequa is elevated this year due to some debt service on bonds approved in 2023. Those bonds financed the installation of new boilers, playground equipment, roofs, athletic fields and energy upgrades, many of which are already completed, district officials said.
Meanwhile, the $4 million capital expenditure on the ballot, coming out of an existing reserve fund, will finance audiovisual upgrades, science classroom renovations, high school broadcast studio improvements, replacement of the high school gym floor, upgrades to the high school stadium and additional security measures. The capital expenditure, district officials said, has no bearing on the district’s tax levy.
“The Massapequa Experience ensures that every
student can follow his or her own personal path to success,” Superintendent Dr. William Brennan said in the district's budget insights newsletter. “Preserving these vast opportunities guided our planning of the proposed 2026-2027 budget. Beyond a dynamic academic and co-curricular program, we remain committed to designing
innovative, supportive, and learner-centered spaces
that empower our learners and leaders to reach their
fullest potential."
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