Longtime Remsenburg-Speonk Board of Education member Deirdre DeVita is unchallenged in Tuesday’s race, meaning she is poised to win her third three-year term this Tuesday, May 16.
Ms. DeVita, 52, a real estate broker with Brown Harris Stevens in Westhampton Beach, said this week that she is excited to continue serving the one-school district. She said her goal continues to be maintaining the delicate equilibrium of keeping education standards high while striving to keep property taxes low.
“In our district, our size is an uber-delicate balance because even a few new students can make a big difference,” she said. “So for me, that has always been the primary objective—to maintain the right balance.”
Ms. DeVita has served as board president for the past year, after serving two years as vice president. During her tenure, she has been part of an effort to review every district policy, explaining that the board has been trying to revisit and reexamine items that, in some instances, have not been reviewed for years.
Noting that her 15-year-old daughter, Elena, graduated from the district and is now a sophomore at Westhampton Beach, Ms. DeVita said this will likely be her last run for the Remsenburg-Speonk School Board—though she has not completely ruled out the possibility of running again in three years.
In addition to casting their ballots in the board race, district residents can vote on the board’s proposed $13.5 million 2017-18 budget from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, at the Mill Road elementary school. The budget increases spending by about $300,000 and does not pierce the state cap on tax levies. Additionally, residents will be asked to create a new capital reserve fund by approving a proposition on the ballot.
Erin McKinley on May 8, 2017