Approve the Lawrence budget

In proposing a $98.5 million budget for the 2015-16 school year, Lawrence School District officials are making good on their promise to ensure a solid financial footing for the district and to add academic programs.
The 1.5 percent tax levy increase is well under the state-mandated 2 percent cap. The budget includes a Gifted and Talented program, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) classes such as 3-D printing, coding, robotics and science labs.
Money from the sale of the Number Six School is being used for capital improvements — to expand classrooms and renovate offices in the high school, and to build art and music suites in the middle school to coincide with a restructuring plan that will create lower and upper schools in the middle school building.
There are no layoffs due to budgetary constraints, and the district just agreed to lease the Number Five School to the Shulamith School, which will generate $500,000 in revenue for one year and possibly another, along with about $800,000 in savings that the district will not spend to operate the building.
We encourage voters to support the budget by voting “yes” on Tuesday.

For trustee, Feldhamer and Blachorsky
Incumbent Board of Education Trustee Abel Feldhamer is running for his third three-year term against first-time candidate Matthew Russo. Another first-time nominee, Heshy Blachorsky, is opposed by Asher Matathias.
Feldhamer has been part of a school board that continues to make the right fiscal moves and is working collaboratively with administrators to improve student academic performance. Nonetheless, we would like to see Russo remain involved and continue his presence at board meetings.
Blachorsky and Matathias both have a handle on district issues. But Matathias has continued to rail against the board about a matter relating to his time as a substitute teacher in the district.
We endorse Feldhamer and Blachorsky, and expect them, along with the other trustees, to keep the district’s fiscal house in order and continue pressing for academic improvement.
Approve Peninsula Library budget
Library officials have kept an eye on their budget, and an increase to $3.16 million is less than $40,000 more than this year’s spending. Peninsula continues to expand its programs for both children and adults.
We support the budget, and urge voters to do the same.
Inwood resident Audrain Gray, an experienced nonprofit executive, is running unopposed for a five-year term. Gray would replace Joan Lepelstat, who stepped down.
Gray’s experience and knowledge would benefit the library, and we endorse her.