Schools
Plainview OK's School Budget; Elects Greenberg
Bettan, Schulman retain their seats; budget passes easily.
Plainview-Old Bethpage voters easily approved the school district’s 2013-14 school budget by more than 1,000 votes and elected a one newcomer to the Board of Education.
The budget proposal passed by a vote of 1,815-827.
Voters returned incumbents Gary Bettan and Emily Schulman to the board and elected newcomer Seth Greenberg. Challenger Kevin Rey finished more than 700 votes behind the other three.
The unofficial vote totals for the candidates were:
- Emily Schulman (1,855)
- Seth Greenberg (1,829)
- Gary Bettan (1,804)
- Kevin Rey (1,070)
The proposed budget package of $141,358,095 represents a 2.98 percent increase over last year's spending plan. The tax levy increase is just below 2.9 percent.
Both figures are below the state's so-called "tax cap," a figure derived from a complex state formula applied to each individual district, school officials said.
To achieve that figure, Plainview-Old Bethpage staff members have agreed to take a pay freeze for the 2013-14 school year.
See the entire budget proposal here:
A second proposition on the ballot to allow the district to finance a repair reserve fund was also approved by the voters; the tally was 1830-689.
The reserve fund does not increase the tax levy but allows the Board of Education to finance a fund through unanticipated revenues and unexpended funds accumulated at the end of the current year. The concept, school officials say, is to be prepared for costly, unforeseen repairs.
The additional vacancy is caused by the departure of Trustee Angel Cepeda, who did not seek re-election.
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