North Fork voters will decide today whether their school districts’ proposed budgets make the grade.

Most districts are staying within the state tax cap. Greenport is not, with officials asking residents to approve a nearly 8% tax levy increase tied to deep staffing cuts and a broader effort to stabilize district finances.

Here’s what each district is proposing, and who is running for the various school boards:

Greenport

The $26 million spending plan has a 7.91% tax levy increase, far above the district’s 3.04% cap. For homeowners, that would mean about $43 more per month. 

The proposal also cuts 21 positions, including one administrative role, 10 instructional positions and 10 non-instructional positions, though officials have also tried to emphasize that it would maintain small class sizes, transportation and extracurriculars.

The budget requires approval from at least 60% of voters since the proposed tax levy exceeds the allowable cap.

Rejecting the budget would result in at least one revote and the elimination of more positions.

School board incumbent Kirsten Droskoski, a 14-year member and third-generation Greenporter, is running for the only open seat. Ballots can be cast from 2 to 8 p.m. in the school’s new gym.

Mattituck-Cutchogue

The district is putting forth a $48.3 million budget, a 3.19% increase that comes with a 2.63% tax levy bump — its lowest in years.

Transportation, salaries and health insurance costs are all slated to go up.

Facilities spending, however, is projected to decrease by $282,144 following a year of capital improvements that included new air conditioning units, LED lighting and bathroom updates.

The school board will have three open seats on the ballot. Two of the terms are for three years, starting on July 1 through June 30, 2029. The other term — filling a vacancy from Jeffrey Connolly’s resignation in December — runs from May 19 through June 30, 2027.

Incumbents Patricia Arslanian — the current president — and Lorraine Warren are running again, while Suzanne Martinez is seeking a seat on the board.

Ms. Arslanian is a retired Mattituck English teacher and has a daughter who graduated from the district in 2005. She has also served as a religious education teacher at Sacred Heart parish and spent six years as a trustee on the Mattituck-Laurel Library board.

Ms. Warren has been on the board since 2023 and has been an active member of the district’s Parent Teacher Student Association.

Ms. Martinez has been a web content writer and editor with Utopia Home Care for the last 13 years.

Community members can vote from 3 to 9 p.m. in the high school gym.

Southold

Southold is putting a $36.8 million proposed budget before voters, an increase of just over $1 million from last year, or 3.28%.

The proposed tax levy increase is 2.71%, just under the state cap. The average household increase would be roughly $16 per month, or about $188 annually.

The budget maintains current programs and offerings throughout the district.

Salaries, benefits and transportation costs would all increase, while out-of-district tuition is projected to decrease by 4.21%.

Three seats are open on the school board. Incumbents Thomas Grattan Jr., Dawn Hagerman and Scott Latham are running again. 

Mr. Grattan, of Peconic, is the owner of Sophie’s Rest and Tom Grattan Lawn Care. Mr. Latham, of Southold, is a lieutenant at the Southold Police Department. Ms. Hagerman joined the board in 2025.

Polls are open from 3 to 9 p.m. in the high school gym.

Oysterponds

The Oysterponds School District in Orient is proposing a $5.98 million budget for 2026-27, a 2.38% increase.

The proposed tax levy increase is at 4.76% — equal to the district’s tax-cap limit.

Voters will also decide on two propositions involving the capital reserve fund. Proposition 1 would authorize up to $89,000 for technology and educational facility projects. Proposition 2 would allow up to $46,000 for the purchase of a Kubota 4WD utility vehicle with snow removal and salting capabilities, along with related costs.

On the school board, incumbents Janice Caufield and Jeffrey Demarest are running against Nicole Garret and Linda Goldsmith for two open seats. The candidate receiving the third-highest number of votes will fill a two-year term created by Erin Johnson’s resignation last year.

Ms. Caufield has lived in the district since 1994. She is a former nurse and has four children. She formerly lived in West Hempstead she served on that school district’s board for 9 years, starting in 1997.

Mr. Demarest was born and raised in Orient and is a graduate of Oysterponds Elementary School. He first ran for the board in 2011.

Ms. Garret graduated from West Babylon High School and attended Adelphi University. She is a former instructor at Hofstra University.

Ms. Goldsmith worked for the district for 29 years. She first joined the board in July 1988 and was even president for nine years. She previously resigned from the board in 2019.

Community members can vote from 2 to 8 p.m. at Oysterponds Elementary School.

The post North Fork school budget votes set for today appeared first on The Suffolk Times.

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