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Smithtown
Monday, October 14, 2024

Sachem Budget Fails, Brookhaven Town School District Election, Budget Results

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All seventeen school districts within the Town of Brookhaven held their board of election, budget, and ballot proposition votes on Tuesday night.


Sachem Central School District is one of just two district on Long Island, the other being West Babylon, who saw their budget propositions fail.


Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District
The $85,882,466 budget was approved with 798 votes and 303 votes against.
Mallory Dougherty was elected unopposed with 837 votes to succeed Julia Conlon.
Paul Wright earned 827 votes in an unopposed race to succeed Adrienne Cirone.
The district serves Bayport, Blue Point, and parts of North Patchogue
Center Moriches Union Free School District
The $54,132,914 budget carries a 2.47% tax levy increase, within the tax cap. The budget passed with 509 in support and 421 votes against – a relatively slim 54%-46% margin.
Brian Tenety earned 707 votes in an uncontested race for a School Board seat.


Comsewogue School District

The $116,574,788 budget passed 540-204. It carries a 0% tax levy increase.
Margaret Mitchell, Corey Prinz, and Richard Rennard were elected to the Board of Education for three-year terms.
The district serves Terryville and parts of Port Jefferson Station, Coram, Centereach, and Selden


East Moriches Union Free School District
The $31,600,752 budget passed 219-41. It carries a tax levy increase of 1.90%. Proposition 2 passed 239-20. It designates Center Moriches HS, Eastport South-Manor HS, and Westhampton Beach HS as receiving high schools for residents of the East Moriches UFSD for up to five years beginning July 1, 2024, ending June 30, 2029, for grades 9-12.
Proposition 3 passed 230-28. The East Moriches USFD Board of Education is now authorized to contract with the Suffolk Cooperative Library System for a period of one year only, commencing on July 1, 2024, for direct-access library services for a sum not to exceed $989,107, in addition to the sum of the budget.
President Greg Menegio was re-elected to a three-year term. Joseph Kosinski was elected to an open seat.


Eastport-South Manor Central School District

The $109,736,931 budget that remains within the tax cap passed 690-284. Proposition 2 passed 836-136.
Michael Davis and Marion Diener were elected to the school board with 584 votes and 450 votes, respectively.
The district serves parts of Eastport and Manorville


Longwood Central School District
The $300,500,000 budget passed 1,541-428. It carries a tax levy increase of 1.79%.
The proposition to establish a Capital Reserve Fund (CRF) passed 1,509-455. A CRF is a savings account for the district used to finance capital projects in the future to offset the tax levy impact. It carries no additional cost to the taxpayers.
Bond Proposition One passed 1,455-500. It approves $158,000,000 for security upgrades, roof replacements, interior door replacements, bathroom repairs, enhanced facilities for all students, and addition of Certified Career programs. Projects will qualify for 75% reimbursement through NYSED Building Aid.
Bond Proposition Two passed 1,430-515. It approves air conditioning replacement in all district buildings.
The district serves Gordon Heights, East Yaphank, Middle Island, parts of Coram, Yaphank, Medford, Ridge, Upton, and East Shoreham, and small parts of Rocky Point and Miller Place
Incumbent Trustees Victoria Molloy and Daniel Tomaszewski were re-elected and Matthew Gropper won an open seat.


Middle Country Central School District
The $294,838,307 budget passed 1,578-569. It carries a 2.54% tax levy increase, within the cap.
Alene Barresi, John DeBenedetto, and Denise Haggerty were all re-elected to the Board unopposed.
The district serves most of Selden and Centereach, parts of Lake Grove, Coram, and Farmingville.


Miller Place Union Free School District
The $82,952,733 budget passed 575-170. It carries a 2.11% tax levy.
Proposition Two passed 637-90.
Bryan Makarius was re-elected unopposed with 584 votes. There were forty-three write-in votes.
The district serves most of Miller Place and parts of Sound Beach.


Mount Sinai Union Free School District

The $68,805,778 budget was approved 802-212. It carries a 3.22% tax levy increase, within the tax cap.
President Paul Staudt was re-elected unopposed. Joseph Randazzo won an open seat unopposed.
The district serves Mount Sinai and parts of northern Coram


Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District
The $241,343,722 budget passed 2,173-938. It carries a 2.67% tax levy increase that does not pierce the tax cap.
The $85,370,000 bond proposition passed 2,133-994. It will be spent on district wide HVAC upgrades, a multi-purpose field with lighting, bleachers, a press box, video scorecards, and a sound system.
President Marc Negrin and Trustees Jennifer Krieger and Bernadette Smith were all re-elected to the Board.
The district serves Patchogue, most of North Patchogue, parts of East Patchogue, Medford, and Holtsville.


Port Jefferson Union Free School District

The $48,018,335 budget passed 640-148. It carries a 1.24% tax levy increase.
Vice President Tracy Zamek was re-elected. Traci Donnelly and Michael Weaver were elected to open seats.
Adopt a budget of $48,018,335 that carries a 1.24% tax levy increase.
The district serves Belle Terre and most of Port Jefferson.


Rocky Point Union Free School District
The $93,985,727 budget passed 846-289. It carries a 2.71% tax levy increase.
The district serves Rocky Point and parts of Sound Beach
Vice President Michael Lisa was re-elected to the Board of Education. Stacey Lasurdo won the open seat.
Proposition Two passed 919-217. $4,300,000 has been approved from the CRF for district wide boiler and burner replacements.
Proposition Three passed 787-352.


Sachem Central School District
The $377,326,912 budget failed with 4,176 votes for the budget and 4,127 votes against the budget. The budget would have accrued a heavy 4.87% tax levy increase that pierces the tax cap. Since it would have pierced the cap, the budget required 60% support in order to pass.
A capital expenditures project for softball field construction passed 4,230 to 3,938.
Michael Isernia, Vincent Renyolds, and Sabrina Pitkewicz were all won Trustee positions unopposed.
Sachem is one of just two school districts on Long Island who saw their budgets fail, the other being West Babylon. Four districts passed budgets that pierced their tax caps: Amagansett, East Hampton, Port Washington, and Springs.
A secondary budget is slated to be put in front of voters on June 18. That budget would remain at the tax cap at 1.92%, but would come with significant drawbacks to services and programs.
Within Brookhaven, the district serves parts of Lake Grove, Medford, Farmingville, Lake Ronkonkoma, Holbrook, and Holtsville


Shoreham-Wading River Central School District
The $88,182,464 budget passed 526-125. It carries a 2.52% tax levy increase, within the cap.
Proposition Two was also approved by voters. It transfers $1,676,920 to the capital fund for building repairs.
Incumbent James Smith was re-elected and Jim Lauckhardt won an open seat on the seven-member board.
The district serves Shoreham, parts of East Shoreham, Wading River, Ridge, and Calverton


South Country Central School District
The $143,057,785 budget passed 880-343. It carries a 2.70% tax levy increase that remains within the cap.
Proposition Two passed 885-329. It expands bus service for high school students from 1.5 miles to 1 mile at no additional cost.
Proposition 3 passed 909-298. It expands $937,000 in capital reserves for renovation of the Bellport High School auditorium.
Trustee Chris Picini was re-elected. Deborah DeLillo defeated incumbent Cameron Trent.
The district serves Bellport, North Bellport, Brookhaven hamlet, South Haven, parts of Shirley, Yaphank, and Medford


Three Village Central School District
The district serves Old Field, Poquott, Stony Brook, Strongs Neck, Setauket, East Setauket, parts of Centereach, Terryville, Port Jefferson Station, and Port Jefferson.
The $236,162,955 budget passed 2,140 to 1,140. President Susan Rosenzweig and Trustee Shaorui Li were re-elected to the Board of Education. Dr. Stanley Bak won a special election to serve the remaining one year of a three-year term. He defeated Amitava Das by just five votes: 1,688 to 1,683.


William Floyd Union Free School District
The $310,860,689 budget passed 826-311.
Proposition 2 passed 805-301. It allows the Board to establish a CRF of $10 million for renovations.
Proposition 3 passed 813-297. IT allows the Board to establish a Repair Reserve Fund of $6 million for repairs to capital improvements.
Trustees Jennifer Ng Heitman and Kevin Meyer were re-elected.
The district serves Mastic, Mastic Beach, Moriches, Old Mastic, and parts of Shirley.

Matt Meduri
Matt Meduri
Matt Meduri has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Messenger Papers since August 2023. He is the author of the America the Beautiful, Civics 101, and This Week Today columns. Matt graduated from St. Joseph's University, Patchogue, in 2022, with a degree in Human Resources and worked for his family's IT business for three years. He's also a musician and composer with his sights set on the film industry. Matt has traveled all around the U.S. and enjoys cooking, photography, and a good cup of coffee.