North Shore School District voters went to the polls in large numbers on Tuesday, June 12 and passed their proposed 2001-2002 $52,770,707 school budget by a 286 vote margin. The budget re-vote, made necessary when the identical budget was voted down the first time on May 15, recorded 1,798 votes in favor; 1,512 votes against the spending plan. These numbers include absentee ballots. Residents in the boundaries of the North Shore School district can expect their taxes to rise by 12.9 percent, a number which is subject to change depending on the amount of state aid the district receives once legislators in Albany have the state's budget in place. Commercial property tax, (Class Four), will probably rise 7.5 percent. The morning after the vote a tired, albeit relieved, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Rob Root, said, "There were so many people who worked very hard to get out the vote the second time around. I am enormously grateful for all their hard work. We had a good turnout. "

This year, residents within the district were engaged in a spirited debate on the budget, a debate which included the posting of signs on commercial and residential properties. The signs on one commercial property in particular prompted a small group of residents to picket along the site's perimeter both before the May 15 vote and the June 12 vote. Several people gathered in the high school gym to hear the re-vote results commented on an aggressive phone-chain push to get out North Shore's voters. One person said a member of one of the district's PTA units was calling and urging people to vote and vote yes on the budget-a practice which is not allowed per state PTA regulations.

After hearing the results, several members of the North Shore community who supported a "no" vote on the budget vowed to demand taxpayer accountability from the board of education and administration, especially in light of the fact that the teachers' contract is up for negotiation as of this July 1.

North Shore School District residents are urged to attend the board of education meeting this Monday, June 18, 8 p.m. at the high school. An agenda item scheduled for discussion and/or action is the appointment of an assistant to the superintendent for instruction. The person who might be appointed was the topic of an emergency special meeting of the board this past week.