Cast your ballot’s for Glen Cove schools budget

New course offerings at Glen Cove High School, the preservation of all current programs and a continuation of security upgrades are a few of the initiatives that the Glen Cove School District will introduce next year if voters approve the budget on Tuesday.

The district will also improve facilities and upgrade the middle school’s gas line.

The proposed budget for 2017-18, a little more than $85.9 million, represents a $2.2 million increase over the current year’s spending plan. If it passes, the district will collect $66.8 million in property taxes, an increase of $912,338.

We believe the district has the taxpayer in mind and has worked to keep the tax increase to a minimum. It has cut administrative costs and will not hire new employees to fill certain positions from which staff members have retired.

If the budget were to fail twice, the district would, by law, be forced to authorize a contingency spending plan. Between nine and 11 staff and faculty members would be eliminated, which would cause cuts to student programs. New equipment could not be purchased, either.

Support two new candidates

Running for Board of Education trustee for the first time are Monica Alexandris-Miller and Robert Field, whose children attend district schools. They are running unopposed to replace Maureen Pappachristou and Barrie Dratch, who have chosen not to run for reelection.

Alexandris-Miller, a mother of three daughters who attend Landing and Deasy schools, has been active in the PTA. She appears to be a good fit for the district. She is committed to finding and taking advantage of all available state and federal funding and grants to add creative initiatives in the Glen Cove School District.

Field will also benefit Glen Cove’s schools. He has one daughter in the eighth grade and a son who graduated from Glen Cove High School in 2016. He is not new to working with a board, having served on the World Institute of Action Learning Board of Directors, a nonprofit organization committed to the development of leaders. And he’s worked for almost 20 years in higher education in the technology sector.

Field would like to see more community involvement in school district events. A president of the high school’s booster club, he is aware of students’ achievements and would like to see them receive more support from the community. He said he hopes to inspire and lead.

We encourage voters to support the budget and vote for Alexandris-Miller and Field next Tuesday. A strong education is important in furthering the development of our children, who are our future.