Hewlett-Woodmere budget passes

District 14 voters overwhelmingly approved the proposed Hewlett-Woodmere Public Schools budget proposal, as well as a proposition to establish a Capital Reserve Fund for technology projects, on Tuesday night.

The $100.8 million budget passed with 60 percent of the vote 1,793 to 1,213. It was the fifth straight year Hewlett-Woodmere Lawrence approved its budget on the first try, after the district failed on the initial attempt in 2005.

The capital reserve proposition, referred to as Technology Reserve II, was passed with 62 percent of the vote with 1,725 in support and 1,074 in opposition.
The approved budget is a 2.86 percent increase over the current spending plan of $98 million. The estimated increase in the tax levy, the total amount the district must raise in property taxes in order to meet expenses, is 3.5 percent, give or take, depending on how much state aid Hewlett-Woodmere receives once the state Legislature passes a budget.

District officials have not yet released the tax rate, the increase in homeowners' property-tax bills, since state aid numbers are not finalized.

“People in the community understood that we worked very, very hard to responsive to the concerns of the taxpayers and yet to make sure that our students continue to get an outstanding educational experience,” said Hewlett-Woodmere Superintendent Dr. Les Omotani moments after finding out the budget had passed. “Finding that balance is what allowed us to have this kind of an outcome.”

Had the budget failed Tuesday the district would have needed to do a re-vote to avoid ran operating on austerity. A contingency budget this year would have meant no increase allowed in the fiscal plan and would have resulted in $2.8 million being slashed with expenditures limited to the most essential items.
“I really feel [the budget passage] reaffirms the importance of education in this community,” said Hewlett-Woodmere school board president Stephanie Gould. “It just shows how families who live in this community are really committed to education.”

The Capital Reserve Fund approved Tuesday will allow the district to set aside funds not exceeding $4 million for school system wide technology projects, including hardware and infrastructure upgrades. This enables the district to continue planning for future investments in technology and infrastructure without impacting future budgets.

Also on the ballot on May 18 were Gould and trustee Harold Kislik, who both ran unchallenged for new terms on the school board. Gould collected 2,030 votes to earn a sixth term while Kislik received 1,806 votes to receive a third term.