Mineola School District voters passed the proposed $84.2 million school budget by a 432-vote margin out of nearly 3,000 votes cast and school board President Terence Hale and Trusteee William Hornberger were re-elected to their seats over two challengers in a walk.
The budget passed with nearly 58 percent of the vote – 1,632 voting in favor and 1,193 voting against. The $84.2 million 2011-12 budget represents a 5.11 percent increase over the current $80.1 million budget. The tax levy will increase by 2.37 percent.
In the race for the two school board seats, Hale drew 1,648 votes and Hornberger drew 1,662 votes. The two challengers, Veronica Levitan and Joseph Manopella drew 1,020 votes and 859 votes, respectively.
A proposition on the ballot to increase the mileage range for fifth graders to be eligible for bus transportation passed, 1,426 in favor and 896 against. Fifth graders will begin attending the middle school next year as part of the school district’s consolidation plan, which includes the closing of two elementary schools – the Cross Street and Willis Avenue schools.
Mineola Superintendent of Schools Michael Nagler she he saw the outcome of the budget voting as an affirmation of the school consolidation plan, which school board members and many residents saw as the central issue in the budget vote and the school board races.
“I’m very happy. The voters knew what was at stake and they voted for moving toward a configuration plan that we already outlined,” Nagler said. “It’s nice to know that what we’ve been planning for the past four months is going to happen.”
Nagler said approval of the budget would enable the school district to “properly” go through with planned transitions for students in the district under the consolidation plan.
As fifth graders move to the middle school next fall, eighth graders will be attending the high school. The budget includes $2.6 million to expand the Hampton Street School and upgrade the library at the Meadow Drive School to prepare for both facilities to become the district schools for grades K through 2. The Cross Street School is to be closed and leased to the Solomon Schechter Day School of Glen Cove.
The planned lease of the Cross Street School to the Schechter School was a key issue in the candidates’ campaign.
Both Levitan and Manopella publicly expressed misgivings about the consolidation plan during the campaign. Hale and Hornberger both stood firmly behind the consolidation plan.
Trustee John McGrath was opposed to closing a second elementary school in the district and had said he wanted to stop the consolidation plan from going forward. If one of the challengers had won, it would have changed the balance on the five-member board, opening the prospect for overturning the planned transition.
“I’m ecstatic,” Hale said. “The district came around and they vote the bums in. MIneola’s now moving into the 21st century. It would have been a lot of chaos to undo three years’ work. It shows that honesty and reasonability overcome lies and hypocrisy.”
Hale’s reference to “bums” alluded to an e-mail circulated during the campaign by Williston Park civic activist Umberto Magnardi, who advised voters in the district to vote against the incumbents and “throw the bums out.”
Hornberger said he was pleased with the large turnout of voters in the district.
“I’m glad we had a large showing for the community. The votes helped continue the path and support the interests of the children,” he said.
The base of support for Levitan and Manopella was centered in northern part of the school district. Meadow Drive voters cast 465 votes for Levitan and 397 votes for Manopella, while Hale drew 205 votes and Hornberger received 232 votes. Hale and Hornberger the majority of votes cast at the Jackson Avenue, Hampton Street and Cross Street schools.
The modest 2.37 percent tax levy increase was a primary point that incumbent board Hale and Hornberger used in their campaigns.
The rise in the tax levy was reduced largely by the $2.4 million in savings the school district will realize from the elimination of 19 teaching positions through closing the Cross Street School.
A fifth candidate for the school board, Albertson resident Gerald Magaldi, dropped out of the race two weeks before the election. Magaldi declared his support for the remaining two challengers.
