Bellmore, North Bellmore Board of Eds. uncontested

As the school budget and Board of Education elections quickly approach, here’s what the community needs to know on May 16:

- Both board of education races in Bellmore and North Bellmore are uncontested. There is one seat up for grabs, both held by incumbents.

- Polls open in Bellmore at 6:30 a.m. at Shore Road School, located at 2901 Shore Road, Bellmore. Taxpayers can cast their vote till 9 p.m. Schools affected include Charles A. Reinhard Early Childhood Center, Winthrop Avenue School and Shore Road School.

- Polls open in North Bellmore at 6 a.m. at Newbridge Road School, located at 1601 Newbridge Road, North Bellmore, and close at 9 p.m. Schools affected include John G. Dinkelmeyer, Martin Avenue, Newbridge Road, Park Avenue and Saw Mill Road Elementary Schools.

- There is no polling location for the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District budget vote — taxpayers will vote at their respective elementary district polling sites. Schools affected include Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue Middle Schools and John F. Kennedy, Sanford H. Calhoun and Wellington C. Mepham High Schools.

Up for re-election for the Bellmore Board of Education is Jay L.T. Breakstone. Breakstone has served on the board since 1997. His three children all attended Bellmore Public Schools and later John F. Kennedy High School in the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District. This past year he has served on the Bellmore board as a trustee. Breakstone is a career lawyer, who has also previously served as the president of the Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association. He credits his longevity on the school board to thinking of the district’s children as his own, and coming up with ethical procedures to use the district’s funds accordingly, for the benefit all of its students.

Bellmore’s proposed 2023-24 budget is $39,103,143. It promises to maintain all current programs and class sizes, help build and strengthen the district’s theater and performing arts programs, and assist the district in making technology improvements in the classroom. For a comprehensive breakdown, visit Bellmore.k12.us.

In North Bellmore, that Board of Education’s current vice president Christine Malloy is running unopposed. Malloy was elected to the board in 2020. She has lived in the community for the last decade, with her four children attending Saw Mill Road Elementary School. A secondary teacher for over 20 years, Malloy has campaigned on the idea of building upon a strong educational foundation that grows with time, regarding the importance of class size, flexible seating, sensory pathways and making technology more available for the district’s students. 

North Bellmore’s proposed budget for next school years is $64,588,702. If approved, the budget will support the expansion of the district’s world language program, by adding Spanish as a new special for fourth graders, assist the district in creating a rotational research program for grades 4-6, and enhance instructional coaching, training and workshops for educators and staff. For more, visit NorthBellmoreSchools.org.

The Central District’s proposed budget is $188,863,521. If approved, it will allow the district to expand upon initiatives in STEAM — science, technology, engineering, art and math — and enhance professional development opportunities. The curriculum will expand in the high schools to include new advanced placement courses. The district’s vocational programs, including the cosmetology program, will accommodate more students next school year, and its electric program will expand by 50 percent. Visit Bellmore-Merrick.k12.us for more budget information.