Most LI school budgets pass except 5; County Rd in Southampton to be closed today; and more East End news

At least five Long Island school budget proposals failed to garner enough voter support yesterday while 115 others won approval, according to early returns last night. As reported by NEWSDAY, in Suffolk County, Three Village failed to win a simple majority, meaning more than 50% of voter support Tuesday. The outcome was 2,051-2,340 in Three Village. Results for the remaining four Long Island school districts were still pending by midnight.Also in Suffolk, Bayport-Blue Point, Islip and South Country failed. The districts were three of seven on Long Island seeking a tax cap override, meaning they needed a 60% supermajority to pass.Voters greenlit the proposals in Greenport and Shelter Island which had also sought to pierce their tax caps.With a result of 398-153, Greenport had a 72% passage rate.Greenport Superintendent Beth Doyle thanked voters in a statement last night: “This budget allows us to continue supporting our students while taking important steps toward long-term fiscal stability.”Shelter Island’s budget was approved by a vote of 549-256. Voters last year rejected the Shelter Island tax cap override request but approved it this year with a 68% passage rate.“We deeply appreciate the trust placed in the District as we work to balance fiscal responsibility with maintaining the high-quality educational opportunities our students deserve,” stated Shelter Island Superintendent Brian Doelger.***It appears all east end school districts passed their budgets yesterday.On the south fork, long time local teacher Margaret “Midge” H. Fowler ousted incumbent Germain L. Smith in a 601-342 vote for one seat on the Southampton School Board.As reported on 27east.com, Southampton School District voters approved, 722 to 211, a $84.5 million budget with a nearly $65.5 million tax levy.Voters also passed all of the propositions, which will authorize a number of capital projects, including capital repairs and technology upgrades.The last six propositions will authorize the district to contract with The Water Mill Museum for $125,000, the Parrish Art Museum for $461,700, the Southampton History Museum for $290,000, the Southampton Youth Association for $500,000, the Southampton Arts Center for $175,000 and the Southampton African American Museum for $125,000, and levy taxes for the 2026-27 school year.In neighboring Tuckahoe, Sam Kelly – a Southampton High School Class of 2000 graduate - beat longtime incumbent Bob Grisnik in the Tuckahoe Common School District Board of Trustees election, 142-58. Grisnik will finish his 40th year as trustee in June.Voters also approved the Tuckahoe School district’s nearly $26.4 million budget in a 157-54 vote. An additional three propositions also passed, which will authorize a number of capital projects and levy funds for the Southampton Youth Association and the Parrish Art Museum.***Tonight - County Road 39 in Southampton will be closed to through traffic between Tuckahoe Lane and Shrubland Road from 8 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. tomorrow for the construction of the pedestrian bridge linking the Stony Brook Southampton college campus and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club for the U.S. Open next month.Starting tonight at 8 p.m. westbound traffic will be detoured south on Tuckahoe Lane to Montauk Highway and eastbound traffic will be detoured north onto Shrubland Road and Sebonac Road to get around the closure.Residents and employees of businesses between the detour points will be allowed to use the closed stretches of roadway but will not be able to pass Tuckahoe Road where the construction is taking place at any point.***With the LIRR strike settled on Monday night, South Fork Commuter Connection service was set to resume its normal schedule today. The South Fork Commuter Connection {SFCC} is a coordinated train and bus service offered on weekdays on the Long Island Rail Road’s Montauk Branch where upon exiting at stations between Montauk and Speonk, riders board buses to and from nearby businesses.Dan Stark reports on 27east.com that many in East Hampton Town government, and in the private sector in town, use the SFCC. In April alone, the service carried over 2,100 passengers over 22 days of service, said East Hampton Town Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez."It just demonstrated how much our community and our town government depend on reliable public transportation, as we had a number of folks battling the traffic and others working remotely from home," Burke-Gonzalez said at a Town Board work session yesterday.Meanwhile, MTA and union sources told NEWSDAY on Tuesday that the agreement reached between managers and LIRR labor leaders to end the strike represented a middle ground between the sides' long-held negotiating positions. The final deal pays workers 4.5% in raises in the fourth year. It also extends the contract six weeks…so it won’t expire until August 2027…less than a year and a half from now.The agreement still has to be ratified by union members and the MTA Board.LIRR President Rob Free during a press conference Tuesday morning said, “Through negotiations we were able to find a common ground to come to an agreement,” Free said. “A contract they feel [union members] can ratify and something we know wouldn’t cause a financial burden to the taxpayers and the riders.” He also said there were “factors within the contract that were worked on to make it more affordable.”***At least five Long Island school budget proposals failed to garner enough voter support yesterday while 115 others won approval, according to early returns last night.Results for the remaining four districts were still pending by midnight.It appears all east end school districts passed their budgets yesterday.As reported by NEWSDAY staff, voters on Tuesday also weighed in on about 90 propositions, mostly for capital projects to improve school facilities. A total of 358 candidates were also running to fill 257 school board vacancies. Fewer than half the districts — 51 — had contested races.This year’s budget season was marked by widespread cuts. A Newsday analysis found a third of the spending proposals called for reductions in staffing or programs. Officials have cited rising costs — in some areas double-digit spikes — among reasons for the cuts. Only a few Long Island school districts said they would add programs or jobs.***The New York Blood Center is urgently calling on New Yorkers to donate blood ahead of Memorial Day weekend as the region faces dangerously low blood collections at the start of the summer “trauma season.” Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that there are numerous local blood drives across the East End in the upcoming week, including one today from 1p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Hampton Bays Public Library.Here are the upcoming NYBC blood drives across the East End in the week ahead. To register for these or other blood drives, visit NYBC’s Blood Drive Locator. Tuesday, May 26Stony Brook ELIH, 201 Manor Place, Greenport. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.Wednesday, May 27Hampton Bays High School, 88 East Argonne Road, Hampton Bays. 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Southampton High School, 141 Narrow Lane, Southampton. 7:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.Box Pickleball, 605 Old Country Road, Riverhead. Noon to 6 p.m. Thursday, May 28Pierson Middle/High School, 200 Jermain Ave., Sag Harbor. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mattituck Lions Club at the Mattituck Fire Dept., 1000 Pike Street, Mattituck. 1 to 7 p.m.***After a messy public fight between New York transit officials and five Long Island Rail Road unions whose three-day strike shut down the nation’s busiest passenger rail service, both sides are claiming victory.Stefanos Chen and Grace Ashford report in THE NY TIMES that Gov. Kathy Hochul struck a conciliatory note when announcing the deal that ended the strike at a Monday night news conference in front of the Manhattan headquarters of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that runs the railroad.“I always believed we could reach a good, fair compromise that achieved two principles,” Ms. Hochul said. “Protecting affordability for Long Islanders and commuters, while giving fair wages to the employees.”Kevin Sexton, the national vice president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, one of the striking unions, also celebrated the deal on Monday, though he said he wanted to discuss the specifics with his members before sharing more details.Ms. Hochul said the agreement, which includes a wage increase for the current year and a retroactive raise for the past three years, would not result in higher fares or state taxes — a key consideration for the governor ahead of her November re-election bid.But the new contract could set a new precedent for the M.T.A.’s dealings with more than 80 unions, with repercussions that could be felt for years to come.“There are no winners in a strike,” said William Dwyer, an associate professor at Rutgers University and a former labor negotiator for management at the utility company PSE&G in New Jersey.The acrimonious dispute has eroded trust between the railroad’s workers and leadership, Mr. Dwyer said, noting that the two sides must negotiate their next contract in just a year…Monday’s agreement expires in August 2027.And it is unclear how much the deal will cost the M.T.A. in the long run, as it prepares to engage with other unions that are likely to now seek higher wage increases than those the agency has...