Oysterponds residents pass school budget in re-vote
The Oysterponds school budget passed in a re-vote Tuesday night.
The $5.35 million spending plan for the 2012-13 school year, which trims spending by 4.85 percent from the current school year, passed 173 to 142.
Orient and East Marion residents rejected a similar proposal May 15 by a vote of 253 no to 192 yes.
School officials have said that although the original budget would have cut spending by close to 5 percent, they believed the contentious issue of secondary school choice caused voters to vote it down.
The Oysterponds district, which operates a K-6 school, currently sends its secondary students to neighboring Greenport. In March, Oysterponds designated both Greenport and Mattituck as receiving districts, allowing contract negotiations with both.
Following the election defeat, the school board voted unanimously to end secondary school contract negotiations with the Mattituck-Cutchogue district. In addition, the board voted to draw an additional $100,000, for a total of $200,000, from the fund balance to trim the tax levy increase from 2.5 percent to .45 percent.
Pick up Thursday’s paper to read more about the budget vote.
