Amityville

BUDGET

SPENDING $95,687,498, a 4.57 percent increase from the current $91,506,765. 

TAX LEVY 2.68 percent increase, from $58,772,124 to $60,344,758. This is equal to the district’s 2.68 percent tax-cap limit, so a simple majority vote is required for approval.

TEACHER PAY / PROGRAMS Includes a 0.75 percent contractual increase and an average 2 percent step increase. The proposed budget supports expansion of Northwest Elementary School’s cursive writing program to Park Avenue Memorial Elementary School; a world language program, with instruction in French and Spanish, in grades four through six; and new electives at the secondary level, including public speaking and dramatics at Edmund W. Miles Middle School and science courses at the high school. It continues the Chromebook initiative at the high school so that all students in grades seven through 12 get the laptops. Funding for several capital projects is included, among them restoration of the high school auditorium.

WHEN | WHERE

7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Amityville Memorial High School and Northeast Elementary School. www.amityvilleufsd.org 

CANDIDATES

Four candidates are running for two positions, elected by seat. Incumbent Terry Fulton and Faith Robinson are vying for one seat, and incumbent Laura McVeety Pawlewicz  and Andrew Ayodeji are running for the other. Terms are three years.

Andrew Ayodeji

BACKGROUND Ayodeji, 30, is a lifelong resident of the district. He worked in environmental services but now is a social entrepreneur. He holds a bachelor's degree in health, wellness and physical education from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tennessee.

KEY ISSUE "An overwhelming majority of the students within the Amityville school district reside in North Amityville. However, zero … of the current school board members reside in North Amityville. I am running to make sure the children have a trustee who is not only from their immediate community, but one who knows what they are experiencing on a daily basis before and after school. A diverse and inclusive school board will also require administrators to think critically about the ways diversity impacts education."

Terry Fulton

BACKGROUND Fulton, 56, has lived in the district for more than 40 years and works in real estate. He holds a doctorate in theology and is a member of the Rotary and the NAACP. He has three children in the local schools. Fulton has served on the board since 2013.

KEY ISSUE "Diversity — equity — property taxes. School bond completion 2010-2021. Not exceeding the 2 percent cap."

Laura McVeety Pawlewicz

BACKGROUND Pawlewicz, 46, has lived in the district 11 years. She is a wellness coach and a 1990 graduate of the district. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. She is founder of the Amityville Hurricane Sandy Support Group, as well as a member of the Amityville Rotary and co-founder of Amityville Girls and Women Sports Day. She has two children in the local schools. She has served on the board since 2016.

KEY ISSUE "The most important issue we face in the Amityville School District is finding a proper balance between an affordable tax rate and meeting the needs and expectations of a rapidly changing academic landscape. … We need to keep up with the fiscal and academic demands that are placed on us by the government. During my tenure … we have seen a steady increase in our graduation rates, unprecedented Advanced Placement offerings and participation for new and exciting programs for our students."

Faith Robinson

BACKGROUND Robinson, 33, has lived in the district nearly all her life. A 2003 graduate of Amityville Memorial High School, she holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from NYIT. She is a designer and adjunct professor. Robinson is a member of the Amityville Parent Teacher Council and vice president of I Am Woman Inc., a nonprofit for empowering young women. She has four children, three who attend schools in the district and a 2-year-old. 

KEY ISSUE "What still concerns me is the lack of support from our own community on school functions and major events and the lack of knowledge on the growth of our education program. … When we show up for our kids, we make a difference. When we show up, we are in the know, and the more we know as a community about our children's educational experience, the more united we can stand on other issues within our district."