Budget passes, two newcomers join BOE

by Larry Austin
Grand Island Dispatch, May 21, 2004

To the relief of many in the Grand Island school district administration and the board of education, district residents approved a school budget on May 18 by a 1,109 to 966 vote.

Proposition 1 on the ballot asked voters to approve or reject a 2004-05 budget of $40,612,262 that would result in a tax rate increase of 8.9 percent. The budget increases $3,833,444 over the current budget, or 10.42 percent.

Grand Island Board of Education President David Goris said the board worked hard to bring the budget down to its current monetary level, and he said he was pleased that it passed.

"We're happy that it succeeded because to not have passed would have been detrimental to the program and what we've built up here in the district," Goris said. "Plan B wasn't going to be a pretty plan."

Turnout to vote on Plan A was heavy, with the line to the gymnasium at times stretching to the foyer doors.

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Ramming was relieved in the budget's passage. "I would like to thank the voters of Grand Island for understanding the situation they're in and for showing their support for the kids," he said.

Ramming said there were no discussions prior to the vote, not even among board members, regarding what the district would do if the budget failed.

"We would have had those discussions tomorrow morning," he added. "Thank goodness we don't have to do that."

Voters also had five candidates for school board from which to choose to fill three seats: George Casey, James Milne, Michael Dallessandro, and incumbents Myrna Blair, and Jeri Schopp. After the polls closed at 9 p.m. and the votes tabulated, Dallessandro was declared the high vote-getter and won a seat with 1,289 votes. Schopp received 1,181 and Casey 897 to take the other two available posts. Milne received 862, and Blair, an incumbent, received 830 votes and did not regain her seat. The Dallessandro and Schopp positions carry three-year terms. Casey's term finishes out a two-year vacancy.

Dallessandro said his campaign benefited from the direct contact with the community he gained while circulating his election petitions.

"I believe 25 signatures is all that's needed to run, and we got somewhere in the area of 450 signatures," he said. "I did see a number of those faces coming in to vote."

Schopp, who won her sixth consecutive term, said she wanted the budget to pass even more than she wanted re-election to her board seat.

"That was my major concern. I wanted the budget to pass. That was most important," she said, adding that she made a walking tour of parts of the island talking to residents about the budget and trying to emphasize the need for a yes vote.

"I think we changed some votes in doing that," she said. "And I'm really proud of that."

If the budget had failed, the board would have had several options, including adopting a contingency budget, putting the budget as is up for a re-vote, or making cuts to the budget and holding another vote. Schopp said she was asked several times on the day of the vote what she would cut if the budget failed. Her answer: nothing.

Dallessandro favored a second vote on the budget after further review by the board and hopefully avoiding cuts in programs that impacted students.

"I believe that I received votes from parents who knew that I supported the programs for the students, but of course there had to be some votes in there for me from people who voted no on the budget," he said. "What I'm thinking is that those people saw me as some new blood who, despite the fact that I'm pro-child and pro-education, would take a close look at the district spending."

"I think he's going to be a tremendous board member," Schopp said. "Although I've got to tell you I'm going to miss Myrna Blair tremendously. She was thoughtful, always thought of the children first, and she was a great board member."

Casey said his win was "shocking and pleasant at the same time."

Shocking, he said, because he had no PTA affiliation, but had a strictly financial and managerial background.

Proposition 2 to buy seven new school buses also passed by a vote of 1,078 to 972.