Voters Approve West Islip Budget, Gellar and Zotto Re-Elected to BOE

West Islip voters passed the $110.8 million school district budget by a vote of  2,173 - 1,180 on Tuesday.

By passing the budget, homeowners within the West Islip School District will pay a tax levy of 2.27 percent in the coming year.

Also decided in the election, incumbents Steve Gellar and Michael Zotto were re-elected to the Board of Education, defeating challengers Glenn Montes and Kevin O'Connor, respectively.

The 2011-12 budget calls for a spending plan of $110,880,192, with a 3.49 percent budget to budget increase. The annual tax increase on a home with an average assessed value of $45,000 will be $14.16 per month or $169.88 per year.

However, the approved budget also calls for staff and program reductions, as well as the closure of Kirdahy and Westbrook elementary schools. A total of 38 staff positions will be lost, as well as the high school dance program. Reductions to the BOCES vocational program and athletics spending were also made.

It was a difficult fiscal year for many Long Island school districts, as school struggled to balance rising costs with student needs while staying within the newly implemented New York State tax cap.