On May 20, residents of the Carle Place School District voted 552 to 314 in favor of the $42,832,135 spending plan for 2008-2009. Listed on the ballot as Proposition #1, the approved budget is a 4.97 percent or $2,083,145 increase over the current year's budget of $40,803,990. With an anticipated state aid reimbursement of a little over $4 million or 9.5 percent, passage of the budget means that the average Carle Place homeowner's tax bill for 2008-2009 will be around $5,927.57 or $266.16 more than the current year's.

Proposition #2, which asked voters to establish a Capital Reserve Fund with a $10 million cap to be funded over a 15-year period, was approved 487 to 281 and Proposition #3, which asked voters to establish a Repair Reserve Fund of $1 million, was approved 503 to 268.

Election of school board trustees, listed on the ballot as Proposition #4, also took place May 20. Incumbents Barry Dennis and John DiFranco both sought re-election unopposed and were re-elected to three-year terms. Dennis received 574 votes; DiFrisco received 663 votes.

A few miles away in the East Meadow School District, residents voted 1,982 to 1,297 in favor of the 2008-2009 spending plan of $171,412,990, which is a $7,066,882 or 4.3 percent budget-to-budget increase over the current year's spending plan of $164,346,108. While the budget carries a projected tax levy increase of 4.7 percent, school officials state that the final tax rate may change as the result of assessment changes and a tax shift imposed by the town, county and New York State governments.

In the race for the East Meadow Board of Education, two seats were up for grabs with incumbents Deborah Coates and Judy Shiechel not seeking re-election. Three candidates sought election to Coates' seat with Diana DeVito being elected with 1,294 votes to defeat Leonard Volpe, who received 1,094 votes, and Wayne Soodek, who received 809 votes. Two candidates sought election to Schiechel's seat with Al Semonella garnering 1,671 votes to defeat Paul Stargot, who received 1,262 votes.