It’s that time of year again and we at The Messenger are not resting on our laurels in urging the community to hit the polls on Tuesday, May 19, when school districts across Suffolk will be putting budgets and propositions on the ballot, while Board of Education (BOE) candidates will be running to administer those funds.
It’s been said ad nauseum, at least in this paper, but it bears repeating: 70% of your property tax bill goes to the school district. Elected officials at every other level of government can talk about holding the line on taxes and retaining affordability, whatever of it is left, and while we appreciate their efforts, the true onus falls on the school districts.
Suffolk has over 300 public schools serving over 222,000 K-12 students, according to Niche. The average district size rests anywhere between 2,500 and 5,000 students.
Yet, these elections easily see the lowest turnout. Only a few thousand, or even a few hundred, residents turn out to decide the trustees, budget, and other propositions for districts of tens of thousands of people.
“This is the most important election of our lifetime” was said about the 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 presidential elections. If they’re all the “most important,” then none of them are.
Truly, the most important elections are on the local end, and school district votes are the top of that chart, we think.
That said, we implore our readers to hit the polls and study these budgets. The newsletters can easily be found on any district website.
Treat these school board elections – be it Smithtown, Connetquot, or Middle Country – as the “most important” elections in your life…
…because they actually are.
