Schools
Voters OK Farmingdale School Budget; Upset in Board Vote
Goldberg elected, Diamond defeated by narrow margin.
Farmingdale residents voted Tuesday to approve the school district's proposed 2013-14 budget and unseated an incumbent member of the Board of Education.
In unofficial results, the budget was OK'd 1,796-874, or by a 68 percent margin. Voters and school officials gathered in the muggy gym at Howitt Middle School awaiting the results. The budget results were met with applause.
Voters also decide between three candidates for two positions on the Board of Education, electing incumbent Russ Catanzaro and newcomer Michael Goldberg to three-year-terms on the board.
Incumbents Tina Diamond fell short by a mere 30 votes in unofficial tallies.
The vote totals were:
- Michael Goldberg: 1,575
- Russ Catanzaro: 1,408
- Tina Diamond: 1,378
The district's actual budget increase over last year is less than 2 percent. The tax levy is also below the state's mandate, coming in at 2.35 percent, considerably below the limit of 2.96 percent for Farmingdale, set by the state's formula, school officials said.
Two other proposals on the ballot passed easily.
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