On Tuesday, May 21, school district residents across the County will have the opportunity to elect school board members and pass budgets and other ballot propositions for their respective districts.
All seventeen of Brookhaven’s school districts will host elections on Tuesday. Check with your district clerk to determine which school is your polling place if your district has multiple campuses.
Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District
Communities Served: Bayport, Blue Point, parts of North Patchogue
School Board Candidates: Mallory Dougherty and Paul Wright are running unopposed to succeed the seats being vacated by Julia Conlon and Adrienne Cirone, respectively.
Proposition 1: Approving a budget of $85,882,466
Center Moriches Union Free School District
Communities Served: Center Moriches
School Board Candidates: President George Maxwell is not running for re-election. Brian Tenety is running unopposed for a three-year term.
Proposition 1: Approving a budget of $54,132,914. It carries a 2.47% tax levy increase, within the tax cap.
Proposition 2: Approving a capital outlay project to complete work on student bathrooms at Clayton Huey Elementary at a total cost of $26,000. The project must be completed within the year.
Comsewogue School District
Communities Served: Terryville and parts of Port Jefferson Station, Coram, Centereach, and Selden
School Board Candidates: This information was not made readily available by the District.
Proposition 1: Approval of a $116,574,788 budget that sees a 0% tax levy increase.
East Moriches Union Free School District
Communities Served: East Moriches
School Board Candidates: President Greg Menegio is running for re-election. Joseph Kosinski is running unopposed for an open seat.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $31,600,752 that carries a tax levy increase of 1.90%.
Proposition 2: Designate 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: The East Moriches USFD Board of Education be 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.
Eastport-South Manor Central School District
Communities Served: Parts of Eastport and Manorville
School Board Candidates: The seats held by President James Governali and Christine Racca are up for re-election.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $109,736,931 that remains under the 4.96% tax cap.
Longwood Central School District
Communities Served: Gordon Heights, East Yaphank, Middle Island, parts of Coram, Yaphank, Medford, Ridge, Upton, and East Shoreham, small parts of Rocky Point and Miller Place
School Board Candidates: Board President Victoria Molloy and Vice President Daniel Tomaszewski are running for re-election. Matthew Gropper is running for the open seat held by Penelope Blizzard-McGrath.
Proposition 1: Approval of a $300,500,000 budget, substantiated by a tax levy increase of 1.79%. The estimated increase for an average home assessed at $2,442 would be $129.63.
Establishment of Capital Reserve Fund (CRF): Approval of a CRF at no additional cost to the taxpayers. A CRF is a savings account for the district used to finance capital projects in the future to offset the tax levy impact.
Bond Proposition I: Approval of $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 II: Approval of air conditioning replacement in all district buildings. Passage of Bond Prop. II is contingent on passage of Bond Prop. I.
Middle Country Central School District
Communities Served: Most of Selden and Centereach, parts of Lake Grove, Coram, and Farmingville.
School Board Candidates: The seats held by Arlene Barresi, John DeBenedetto, and Denise Hagerty are on the ballot.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $294,838,307 that carries a 2.54% tax levy, which is at the tax cap.
Miller Place Union Free School District
Communities Served: Most of Miller Place, parts of Sound Beach
School Board Candidates: Bryan Makarius is running unopposed for re-election.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $82,952,733 that carries a 2.11% tax levy.
Mount Sinai Union Free School District
Communities Served: Mount Sinai, parts of northern Coram
School Board Candidates: President Paul Staudt is running unopposed for re-election. Joseph Randazzo is running unopposed for an open seat.
Proposition 1: Approve a budget of $68,805,778 that carries a 3.22% tax levy increase, which is within the tax cap.
Proposition 2: Approve a contract with Comsewogue Public Library and Port Jefferson Public Library for library services beginning July 1, 2024, for the amount of $1,916,120.
Proposition 3: Approve $3,000,000 in capital expenditures for building improvements.
Patchogue-Medford Union Free School District
Communities Served: Patchogue, most of North Patchogue, parts of East Patchogue, Medford, and Holtsville
School Board Candidates: President Marc Negrin, Jennifer Krieger, and Bernadette Smith are running for re-election. They face Howard Valan, Lauren Kuban, and Pat-Med Senior Bryan Frascogna.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $241,343,722 with a 2.67% tax levy increase that does not pierce the tax cap.
Proposition 2: Approve an $85,370,000 bond proposition for districtwide upgrades to heating, ventilation, and climate control measures in cafeterias and gymnasiums; athletic and recreation improvements; installation of a multi-purpose field, field lighting, bleachers, press box, video scorecards, and sound system; replacement of audio/visual and lighting systems at various performance spaces and related areas. Costs include equipment, machinery, furnishings, apparatus, and ancillary expenditures.
Port Jefferson Union Free School District
Communities Served: Belle Terre, most of Port Jefferson
School Board Candidates: Seats held by Vice President Tracy Zamek, Rene Tidwell, and Ryan Walker are on the ballot.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $48,018,335 that carries a 1.24% tax levy increase.
Rocky Point Union Free School District
Communities Served: Rocky Point, parts of Sound Beach
School Board Candidates: Two seats are up and five candidates are running. The top-two vote-receivers will fill the seats. Vice President Michael Lisa is running for re-election. Michael Sanchez, Shelita Watkis, Stacey Lasurdo, and Elizabeth Diesa are all running.
Proposition 1: Adopt a budget of $93,985,727 that carries a 2.71% tax levy increase.
Proposition 2: Approve $4,300,000 from the capital reserve fund for districtwide boiler and burner replacements.
Sachem Central School District
Communities Served: Parts of Lake Grove, Medford, Farmingville, Lake Ronkonkoma, Holbrook, and Holtsville
School Board Candidates: Incumbent trustees Vincent Reynolds, Michael Isernia, and Sabrina Pitkewicz are running for re-election.
Proposition 1: The proposed budget is a 4.7% increase, equating to a yearly property tax increase of $27 per resident. If passed, the budget of $377,326,912 would pierce the tax cap, and would retain the “current robust and award-winning fine and performing arts program for students K-12,” all current sports offerings, comprehensive mental health supports and resources for students, and all current co-curricular and club offerings.
If passed, the budget would also see a reduction of seventy-three positions districtwide.
If the budget fails on Tuesday, 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%.
Proposition 2: Approving a capital expenditure of $5,387,500 for softball field reconstructions at Sachem East and North High Schools.
Shoreham-Wading River Central School District
Communities Served: Shoreham, parts of East Shoreham, Wading River, Ridge, and Calverton
School Board Candidates: Two candidates are running for School Board.
Proposition 1: Approval of an $88,182,464 budget that increases the tax levy by 2.52% within the tax cap. The budget maintains class sizes and programs, includes additional clubs, and funding to replace 50-60 smartboards.
Proposition 2: Transfer for $1,676,920 to the capital fund for building repairs.
South Country Central School District
Communities Served: Bellport, North Bellport, Brookhaven hamlet, South Haven, parts of Shirley, Yaphank, and Medford
School Board Candidates: Two seats on the Board of Education are up for three-year terms.
Proposition 1: Approving a budget of $143,057,785 that carries a 2.70% at-cap tax levy increase. The budget considers costs related to inflation and cost of living while adding new services for students, such as additional ENL and special education instructors, and supplementary math and reading support. It would also add music, art, and technology teachers as well as a guidance counselor. It would add new Chromebooks, replace outdoor seating, an art drying tables for the high school.
Proposition 2: Approving the expansion of bus service for high school students from 1.5 miles to 1 mile at no additional cost.
Proposition 3: Expand $937,000 in capital reserves for renovation of the Bellport High School auditorium.
Three Village Central School District
Communities Served: Old Field, Poquott, Stony Brook, Strongs Neck, Setauket, East Setauket, parts of Centereach, Terryville, Port Jefferson Station, Port Jefferson
President Susan Rosenzweig and Trustee Shaorui Li are running for re-election. A third seat is up for grabs to fill an unexpired term. Stanley Bak and Amitava Das are running as challengers. Bak affiliates with no outside groups, while Das was endorsed by the Three Village Teachers Association. The third highest voter-receiver will fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
Proposition 1: Approval of a $236,162,955 budget that carries a 2.84% tax levy increase, below the tax cap. If the budget fails, the Board can present the same or a revised budget. If the budget fails on a revote, a contingency budget is passed that carries a 0% tax levy increase. That would require a cut of $4.8 million from the proposed budget.
Proposition 2: Approval of $3,000,000 in capital projects for renovations at Ward Melville High School to accommodate the move of the ninth grade, districtwide bathroom renovations, and asbestos abatement.
William Floyd Union Free School District
Communities Served: Mastic, Mastic Beach, Moriches, Old Mastic, parts of Shirley
School Board Candidates: Trustees Jennifer Ng Heitman and Kevin Meyer are running for re-election unopposed.
Proposition 1: Adopt the budget of $310,860,689, a 0.99% increase amounting to an annual increase of $92 per average assessed home.
Proposition 2: Allowing the Board to establish a Capital Reserve Fund of $10 million for masonry, plumbing, electrical, mechanical, technical, and telephone upgrades, roof replacements on district buildings, door/window replacements, turf replacement, fencing, paving, curbs, and sidewalks.
Proposition 3: Allowing the Board to establish a Repair Reserve Fund of $6 million for repairs to capital improvements.
