At the time of last year's school budget vote and school board member election, the Mineola Board of Education was comprised of John McGrath, Steve Siwinski, Mary Ellen Williams, Donna Strein and Lawrence Carroll. After the board holds its reorganization meeting this summer, only two members, McGrath and Siwinski, will remain.

Last week, voters of the Mineola School District went to the poles and elected two new trustees in Terry Hale and Will Hornberger. Hale ran unopposed to fill Williams' seat since Williams decided against running for re-election. Hornberger defeated Lisa Lao, who was running for election after being appointed to the board in October to fill Carroll's seat after Carroll resigned.

Hornberger, who ran unsuccessfully against Siwinski in 2006, won at each of the home schools where voting took place - Hampton, Cross, Jackson and Meadow.

Last year, Laraine Salvatore defeated Strein in the school board election. With the five-member Mineola board now comprised of two new board members and a board member who took office last year, the board is poised to enact significant changes to the district if it so chooses.

"I'm excited. It's going to be a challenge, especially with everything going on," Hornberger said.

One of the big decisions the board has to make in the upcoming months is whether to close a school or schools or keep the education program the way it is currently functioning.

The community finance community, of which Hornberger was a member, recommended the board conduct a grade configuration study. The board hired School Leadership LLC to conduct the study and a survey was sent out to district residents seeking input on various options that called for closing schools.

Hornberger has been a proponent of the grade reconfiguration study but has maintained that he wanted to analyze the community survey results before entering into a decision over whether to close a school or schools.

The grade configuration survey results are expected to be discussed at the June 5 workshop meeting of the Mineola Board of Education scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Willis Avenue School.

The board will also be charged with hiring a new superintendent of schools since Dr. Larry Licopoli announced he would be retiring as of January 1, 2009.

Hornberger was immediately sworn in after the votes were tabulated last Tuesday night because Lao was considered appointed on a temporary basis until the election. Hale will be sworn in during the reorganization meeting that will take place on Thursday, July 3.

While some have criticized Mineola high costs per pupil, district voters were behind a proposed 2008-2009 budget, passing it by a margin of 1,164 to 816. The budget passed in each of the home schools - Cross, Meadow, Jackson and Hampton - where voting took place.

The 2008-2009 budget called for a 3.52 percent increase in expenses and a tax levy increase of 1.85 percent.

In addition, districts residents also passed a proposition for the leasing of buses and vans by an 881 to 725 margin.

Although a vast majority of their school budgets passed, perhaps some residents are expressing their dissatisfaction of property taxes by voting incumbent school board members out of office. "It almost seems that way," said Mineola resident John Ciesla, who has been a critic of Mineola School District spending. "It's an odd message though because the budget passed. I hope possibly things are going to change."

Nassau County school districts that saw an incumbent lose an election were East Williston, Elmont, Hempstead, Herricks, Levittown, Port Washington, West Hempstead and Glen Cove.

Lao had only been serving on the board since October and can't possibly be blamed for the district's high spending per pupil, which seems to be a sore spot among some residents. However, Hornberger's message of controlling spending and developing a long-term cost containment plan resonated with the voters.

Williston Park resident Rena Goulet said her property taxes are a big concern. "I'm barely making it," she said.

Goulet said she voted for Hornberger because, she said, "I figured a change is good."