In six days, Commack residents will cast their votes on the school budget. However, it won’t be the only item they’re voting on.
In a second proposition, residents will decide whether or not to add two more trustees to the Commack Board of Education.
The Commack school board currently has five trustees. If the proposition is passed, a special election will be held over the summer to elect two more trustees.
Jim Tampellini, who is also running for the Board of Education, started a petition in March to raise the number of representatives on the board. He argued that bringing additional perspectives to the budget process would help control spending.
“In short, at nearly $180 Million, Commack’s school budget has simply grown too large to leave in the hands of only five trustees to manage. The interests of the Commack community will be better served by having more people participate in making budgetary decisions and in the overall operation of the district,” he wrote in a Letter to the Editor.
“Newly created seats on the board will hopefully also bring with it new people with novel ideas and perspectives to address the fiscal challenges that lay ahead,” he added.
Hundreds of residents signed the petition, which put the proposal through, but others argue that more isn’t necessarily better when it comes to the school board.
The Commack PTA has publically denounced the proposition.
“In the more than 100 years since the Commack School District was founded, there has always been a five member Board. We see no evidence that increasing the number of Trustees at this juncture will in any way benefit our students or the quality of their education,” President Janine DiGirolamo stated in the organization’s newsletter.
What do you think? Will adding two more representatives to the school board help or hinder the schools? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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