Serving Port Washington, Manorhaven, Flower Hill, Baxter Estates, Port Washington North, Sands Point
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Friday, May 17, 2024
Vol. 10, No. 20
PPortWashingtonTimes Po rt LIVING 50+
TOWN OKs MONEY FOR PORT PARKING DISTRICT
DEMS CLAIM SECRET MILITIA MEETINGS
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Port to vote on 3 trustees, $194M budget 4.55% tax levy increase pierces state cap by 1.16%, needs 60% of vote Port Washington residents will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in the school district’s election, with a ballot featuring three Board of Education incumbents facing off against five challengers vying for their seats. Board of Education President Adam Smith, Trustee Adam Block and Trustee Nanette Melkonian are all running to be re-elected for another threeyear term. Challenging the three incumbents are Sandra Alvarez, Michael Bitalvo, Teodora Choolfaian, Joseph Delerme and Beth Weisburd. The three positions are for a threeyear term on the school district’s board that will expire on June 30, 2027. Voters can vote for any of the three candidates. The ballot also features the district’s 2024-2025 school budget of $194.5M with a 4.55% tax increase that exceeds the tax cap by 1.16%. This requires a 60% approval vote to pass. If the budget does not capture a 60% vote of approval Tuesday, a second vote will be held on June 18. For the second vote, three budget options can be presented: the original budget with the 4.55% tax increase, a budget with a 3.39% tax increase that
doesn’t exceed the tax cap or a budget with a zero % tax increase. While nearly all candidates have expressed their support for the budget, excluding Choolfaian who did not say whether she did, all the challengers have criticized the board and the district for poor financial planning and not advocating strongly enough for additional aid. The ballot also includes a proposition that would authorize the district to use $4,055,000 from its capital reserve fund for district-wide improvements to its incoming electrical service. Community members can vote for three trustees, the budget and the use of the capital reserve funds from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday in the Weber Middle School All Purpose Room. Adam Smith Smith, who has lived in Port for the past 12 years, works for a New York-based real estate investment and development firm. He also served on the board of Temple Beth Israel in Port Washington He and his wife have three children who attend district schools. Smith was elected to the board in 2021, alongside Block and Melkonian. Achievements Smith said he was proud of during his tenure include Continued on Page 37
PHOTO COURTESY OF THE FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY
The Port Washington Friends of the Library Board of Directors. See story on page 2.
Spectrum teacher named best in Nassau BY C A M E RY N O A K ES One of Jason D’Agostino’s preschool students recently expressed a strong fear of bees, a natural response to an insect that commonly
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afflicts pain with its stinging capabilities. Rather than consoling the child and brushing it off as a simple comment, D’Agostino took the moment as an opportunity to teach his stu-
dents about the importance of bees, as well as many other insects in our natural environment, to diminish the children’s instinctual fears. On Friday morning, square Continued on Page 38
LAST WEEK TO VOTE! VOTING ENDS MAY 24 WINNERS ANNOUNCED JULY 5, 2024! https://theisland360.com/bonscontest/