In a controversial school board election that will likely determine the direction of the Massapequa school district over the next several years, voters went for the status quo.
Easily winning reelection were incumbents Cher Lepre and Danielle Ocuto who received 4,532 votes and 4,692 votes respectively. They defeated Bobby Bonett and Lynn Russo who received 2,227 votes and 2,309 votes.
The candidates differed on ongoing legal and policy issues, including the district’s efforts, and those of the incumbents, to litigate to retain its “Chiefs” logo as well as to maintain its own policies related to transgender students and facilities access. Currently the district is not in compliance with the state’s policies and the district is immersed in a legal battle over the issues.
Lepre and Ocuto supported the lawsuits defending the policies while their opponents called for compliance to state regulations and diverting those legal costs to the classrooms.
Voters also approved the budget 4,712 to 2,192. The district proposed a $254.66 million budget, a 4.7 percent increase, or $11.42 million, over the current $243.24 million budget. The budget is within the state tax cap.
School District voters in Amityville, Farmingdale, and Plainedge also approved their school budgets.
Amityville’s budget was approved 740 to 621. Farmingdale’s budget was approved 1,345 to. 806.
In a hotly contested race in Amityville, the Rising Tide candidates defeated the Tide Turners.
Farmingdale voters also approved the Farmingdale Youth Council budget and reelected school board members Dawn Luisi and Patrick Walsh. They ran unopposed.
In Plainedge, voters okayed the budget, 664 to 279 and approved three propositions for safety and security expenditures, facilities upgrades and the establishment of a capital reserve fund.
Source: Massapequa Post
