Throughout Nassau County school budgets were approved last week by decisive margins.
The results showed that voters have a great deal of confidence in the boards that run their schools. The budgets also showed that the school boards understood that they had to make tough choices to live within the complex state-mandated tax cap formula that took effect this year.
As expected the turnout represented only a small fraction of the registered voters. The way we see it, that’s how a democracy should work. We assume these were not, for the most part, people who came to pull a lever because it’s their duty. The voters were people who took time to learn enough about the issues to have an informed opinion.
They voted to keep the public schools strong. Although these are difficult financial times in Nassau County – to say the least – last week’s vote means the county will continue to have best public schools in the state.
The school budgets in Great Neck, East Williston, Mineola and Herricks all passed by decisive margins.
We hope that the parents who send their children to these schools appreciate the quality of education that is offered. As your community newspaper, we take pride in publishing pictures and articles sent to us by the local schools. We are astounded by the number of awards that are won, the special programs that are offered and the dedication of the teachers who run these programs.
When people in nearby Queens learn about our schools and compare them to their schools that are run by a massive, centralized Department of Education, they probably turn green with envy.
It is the schools that make Nassau County a great place to live and it is the local school boards that make certain that the schools are responsive to the needs of the community. The quality of the schools enabled the county to maintain property values even when it was on the brink of bankruptcy.
In one of the few controversies of election day, Mineola Trustee John McGrath was defeated in a three-way race for the school board that turned ugly. School board President Christine Napolitano and community activist Artie Barnett won decisively. McGrath raised concerns about the role of the PTA in this election.
Of course the PTAs should be careful to stay out of politics, but that does not mean that PTA members cannot be actively involved in school board campaigns.
A key issue in the race was the schools consolidation, which began this year with the lease of the Cross Street School to the Solomon Schechter Day School. Napolitano and Barnett are staunch proponents of the ongoing reconfiguration. McGrath was opposed. When Solomon Schecter opened, we argued that it was painful but necessary decision.
In the end McGrath was disappointed but gracious in defeat.
