Residents across Long Island will be going to the polls on Tuesday, May 17 to vote on proposed school budgets for the 2005-2006 school year. In districts across Long Island, board of education members and administrators have had to put together budget plans that include mandated and contractual spending increases while attempting to elicit a positive response from the community. Last year, many Long Island districts such as the West Hempstead School District and the Sewanhaka Central High School District saw their budgets fail on the first try only to have them pass when the budgets were reduced and put out for votes again.

In the Elmont School District, residents will be asked to approve a $58,023,082 spending plan for the 2005-2006 school year, which represents a 5.54 percent increase in spending over the 2004-2005 year. The estimated tax levy, which is the amount of the budget that must be raised by taxes, is $42,066,082 for the school purposes, a 2.94 percent increase over the 2004-2005 budget. In addition, the public library construction, which was approved by voters via a referendum, is expected to raise the tax levy another 2.73 percent for a total of 5.67 percent.

In Elmont, there is no race for school board. Board president Aubrey Phillips is running unopposed as is Elsey Mecklenbourg Guibert. For Guibert, it will be her first stint on the board after a near miss last year.

Last year, Guibert was edged out by incumbent Lorraine Ferrigno. However, Guibert challenged the results of the vote with the New York State Department of Education, citing election irregularities. She will now take the seat of longtime board member Deanne Doreson, who retired early this year.

For Elmont Library Board, Brian Lynn and Maria Gregori are both running unopposed. Gregori will take the seat held by Dominick E. Guerriero, who past away.

In the Franklin Square School District, residents are being asked to approve a $27,569,865 spending plan, which is a 7.2 percent increase over 2004-2005. Of the $27,569,865, $19,733,868 will have to come from taxes making the estimated tax levy increase 5.4 percent.

In the race for school board, incumbent Jean Fichtl, who has been a Franklin Square School Board member for nine years and one of Franklin Square's representatives on the Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education for the past eight years, will be running against Russell Hanson and Margaret Murphy.

Residents of the Franklin Square School District and Elmont School District will also be voting on the budget for the Sewanhaka Central High School District.

Residents of the West Hempstead School District will be asked to approve a $45,467,052 budget, which is 6.09 percent more than 2004-2005. Of the total budget, an estimated $34,544,797 will have to raised by taxes for a tax levy increase of 8.49 percent over 2004-2005.

In the race for school board, incumbent Vincent Trocchia is running against David Scher and incumbent Pamela Lotito is running unopposed.

For the Valley Stream Central High School District, which includes Valley Stream North High School in Franklin Square, residents will be asked to support an $81,897,854 spending plan, which is 7.78 percent higher than 2004-2005. Out of the total budget, an estimated $66,792,689 will have to be raised by taxes for a tax levy increase of 7.70 over 2004-2005.