The Port Washington School District is hosting its annual budget vote and trustee election on Tuesday, May 21. Registered voters can vote at Weber Middle School, 53 Campus Dr., from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Three incumbent members and five additional candidates are running for the Board of Education. The candidates are incumbent Adam Block, incumbent Nanette Melkonian, incumbent Adam Smith, Sandra Alvarez, Teodora Choolfaian, Michael Bitalvo, Elizabeth Weisburd, and Joseph Delerme. Voters may vote for any three of the eight candidates.
Visit antonmediagroup.com to view letters from residents and candidates submitted to the Port Washington News regarding the candidates for the Board of Education.
The Board of Education has adopted the 2024-25 school budget in the amount of $194,578,217. This amount is a 5.6 percent increase over the current year’s budget due to almost 8 percent year-over-year expense growth. The proposed tax levy increase is 4.55 percent, which requires a supermajority vote of 60 percent because it is 1.16 percentage points over the allowable tax levy limit.
According to the Port Washington School District’s 2024-25 Budget Brochure, “The adopted budget preserves programs that support all students while balancing careful reductions to staff and expenditures along with prudent use of reserves. The adopted budget maintains and enhances curricular and co-curricular programming in alignment with the Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Graduate.”
This year’s budget requires a supermajority vote from the community. The decision to require a supermajority vote was not taken lightly; it involved a collaborative effort from across the district and the Board of Education.
In the Budget Brochure, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Michael Hynes and Board of Education President Adam Block shared that, “In this economic climate, we are keenly aware that any additional costs to our taxpayers can be a difficult burden. However, we are asking for your support in order to take steps to ensure the district’s long-term fiscal sustainability with limited impact on students and programming.”
If the budget has less than 60 percent voter approval, the board may either present the same budget or a revised budget with $1.7 million in additional reductions for a re-vote on June 18. If the budget doesn’t pass for voter approval a second time, the district is required by law to adopt a contingency budget that would result in about $7 million in cuts to programs and services.
Budget Details
Key initiatives in this year’s budget are the district’s Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Graduate. The Strategic Plan and Portrait of a Graduate build on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) programming by expanding executive functioning and mental health. According to the Budget Brochure, “it maintains class sizes according to board policy, funds field trips and clubs, and reductions of staff through attrition and re-organization.”
The budget is expected to provide facility improvements, such as roofing projects for the high school, repairs and upgrades to bathrooms and flooring district-wide, and repairs for Monfort retaining walls and tennis courts.
Proposition Two on the Ballot
This year’s ballot includes Proposition Two, which, if passed, authorizes the school district to appropriate and expend funds from its pre-established capital reserve fund. The capital reserve fund was approved for creation on May 17, 2022, and as of June 30, 2023 the fund has a balance of $4,072,566.
The capital reserve fund may be used to finance district-wide replacements, renovations of electrical services, HVAC equipment and associated projects.
For the 2024-25 ballot, Proposition Two requests authorization to use $4,055,000 from its pre-established capital fund reserve, entitled “Facilities Improvement Program 1-Port Washington UFSD.” This funding will be used for necessary electrical upgrades throughout the district.
The district ensures taxpayers that using the funds from the capital reserve doesn’t impact the tax levy limit, as the funds already exist.
For more information regarding the upcoming Board of Education elections and budget vote, visit portnet.org
