School News

West Hempstead approves revised school budget

Posted Tuesday, June 15, 2010 9:56 pm

"Don't be a fool! Vote for school," read one sign held by students outside West Hempstead High School on June 15.

People driving past West Hempstead High School on Nassau Boulevard honked for students asking taxpayers to vote in favor of the budget.

Students gathered outside West Hempstead Middle School with signs encouraging taxpayers to vote "yes" on the budget.

The revised budget cut the tax levy increase from 9.4 percent to 4.9 percent. A contingency budget would have resulted in a 6.2 percent tax levy increase.

Some 1,773 people did vote "yes" and passed the revised school budget in West Hempstead.

Photos by Lee Landor/Herald

The efforts of students in West Hempstead to get area residents out to vote on June 15 in favor of the revised 2010-11 school district budget seem to have paid off: West Hempstead taxpayers passed the budget with a vote of 1,773 to 698.

"We're very pleased, obviously, that the budget passed," said schools Superintendent John Hogan. "We're just very grateful for the support the West Hempstead residents showed for our efforts."

Board of Education President Pat Lotito said, "We were very encouraged by the overwhelming victory of our budget vote yesterday. Our administration, Board of Education, teachers, PTAs, school parents, community members and our students worked very hard to get the correct budget information out to our residents so all voters could make an informed decision at the polls. We are very happy that our residents supported the budget."

District administrators and Board of Education members went back to the drawning board after their initial proposed budget failed on May 18, and cut $1.65 million from the budget, reducing the proposed tax levy increase from 9.4 percent to 4.9 percent.

West Hempstead, where the budget failed by about 700 votes, was one of only 10 school districts in New York State whose budgets were defeated last month.

With this budget vote, West Hempstead taxpayers sent district officials the message that they got it right this time. Had this second budget failed, the district would have had to go to a contingency budget and cut an additional $685,000. The tax levy increase, however, would have been significantly higher at 6.2 percent. For additional budget details, see this story.

With the budget vote out of the way, the district can return to its other obligations, according to Hogan. "Now our task is to move forward together and face the educational and economic challenges of the district," he said. "And I'm very optimistic that we're going to be able to do that."

Rosalie Norton, president of the West Hempstead Community Support and Civic Associations, had this to say of the budget's passing:

"The West Hempstead community proved today the importance of providing an excellent education to the children of our community.

The voters were presented with a budget which maintains educational excellence, and when the residents were provided with all the budget details, they voted with confidence that this budget was trimmed of any excesses.

With a passed budget, our community continues to remain one of the most desirable hamlets in the Town of Hempstead."

Rony Kessler, president of the Rotary Club of West Hempstead and a former school board member, said that by passing this budget, the "community has shown once again that when the chips are down, they rise up." Of the turnout, Kessler added, "It was an overwhelming response. It [was] so great that the students showed up with signs and high spirits. Well done."