This Tuesday, May 20, Long Island residents will head to the polls to vote for proposed school budgets for the 2008-2009 school year as well as elect trustees to the boards of education.

Residents will be asked to vote on a $78,325,275 budget, which represents a 3.52 percent increase in spending over the 2007-2008 budget. Of the $78,325,275, the proposed tax levy, which is the amount of the budget that will be funded by tax dollars, is $69,577,944, a 1.85 percent increase over 2007-2008.

The proposed budget maintains all current educational, co-curricular, extra-curricular and athletic programs. In addition, the budget calls for full implementation of a K-8 math program and Phase III of literacy collaborative program and reading recovery programs. The budget also calls for funding the first year of a bus replacement plan.

The bulk of the budget, as with all school budgets on Long Island, goes toward salaries and benefits. Salaries and benefits account for 77.4 percent of Mineola's proposed budget.

The budget vote will take place between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at your neighborhood school. The board will be meeting at 9 p.m. at the Jackson Avenue School to accept the results of the budget vote and election.

In addition to voting on the proposed school budget, residents will also be electing two trustees to the five-member board of education. Terry Hale will be running unopposed for the seat that is currently occupied by Mary Ellen Williams, who decided not to run for re-election.

For the other seat, Lisa Lao is running to retain her seat on the board. She is being opposed by Will Hornberger (Please see stories for each candidate on the front page of this newspaper.)

If the budget were to fail, the board of education would have the option of putting the same budget or modifying the budget for another vote, which would take place next month, or adopting a contingency budget. If the board adopts a contingency budget, salaries and benefits would remain part of the budget since they are contractual as would other contractual and mandated costs. Some of the equipment in the budget would be removed as part of a contingency.