A pair of incumbents on the East Williston School District’s Board of Education are running for re-election in contested races.
Board of Education Trustees Tasneem Meghji and David Keefe are running for two-year terms on the board.
Meghji is opposed by Andrea Golub and Keefe is opposed by Ellie Konstantatos.
The district will also be voting on a $66.3 million budget, an increase of more than 3.5% over last year. The tax levy increased also increased to $58.1 million, or .68% from the 2021-22 adopted budget.
Another proposition on the ballot will be to authorize the district to undertake projects from the 2019 Capitol Project Reserve Fund. The projects will include North Side roof replacement, HVAC repair and installation along with renovations to the Wheatley auditorium and science lab.
Before being elected to the board in 2020, Meghji served on the Educational Advisory Committee for the East Williston schools, which advises the board and the district on educational initiatives. Meghji was elected to fill the seat on the board left vacant by Alan Littman.
Meghji said in a phone interview that her experience developing the budget for the past two years and helping guide the district through the coronavirus pandemic shows why she would continue to be a valuable asset on the board.
“I’ve always volunteered and running for school board was just a natural progression of my passion for volunteering in the school district,” Meghji said. “I feel like continuing to serve, I will be much more valuable than having a new trustee who has to learn how school districts work.”
Meghji touted the fact that roughly 3% of the increase to the district’s $66.3 million budget is coming from their capital reserve fund, rather than asking taxpayers to fund it all, resulting in an overall increase.
“We kept the budget below a 1% increase by using our appropriated fund balance and using reserves as well,” Meghji said. “So while the budget may have gone up by 3.5%, we’re not asking the public for that much money.”
Keefe was elected to his fourth term on the board in 2019 in an uncontested race. Keefe has served on the board since 2010, never running in a contested race until this year.
Keefe has served on multiple boards for decades, including state and local committees. Keefe taught in Hempstead for about 40 years, and was the union president in Hempstead for 30 years.
The election and vote will take place on May 17 from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Wheatley Gymnasium.
