Sachem Central School District elections (2016)
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Three of the nine seats on the Sachem Central School District school board were up for general election on May 17, 2016. Incumbent Tony Falco, along with newcomers Mike Matlat and Sara Wottawa, defeated challengers Bevin Llanes, Alexander Wilson, and Carol Locklin in the race for three seats. Dennis O’Hara filed to run in the election but withdrew from the race.[1]
Elections
Voter and candidate information
The Sachem Central Board of Education consists of nine members elected at large election to three-year terms on a staggered basis. Three members are up for election each May.[2] The three candidates who earned the most votes were considered elected to the board.[3] There was no primary election, and the general election was held on May 17, 2016.[4]
School board candidates must be at least 18 years old, qualified voters of the district and have lived in the district for at least one full, uninterrupted year prior to the election. They must also be able to read and write. School board candidates cannot reside in the same household of a current board member, hold another incompatible office, or have been removed from another school board office within a year of the election. To get on the ballot, candidates had to collect signatures from two percent of the voters who cast ballots in the last election on nominating petitions.[5] The nominating petitions had to be filed with the district clerk by April 18, 2016.[4]
To vote in this election, residents must be at least 18 years old and have lived in the district for a minimum of 30 days before the election.[5]
Candidates and results
At-large
Results
| Sachem Central School District, At-large General Election, 3-year term, 2016 |
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| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
 Tony Falco Incumbent |
21.33% | 2,682 |
| Mike Matlat |
19.26% | 2,422 |
| Sara Wottawa |
17.69% | 2,225 |
| Carol Locklin | 15.88% | 1,997 |
| Bevin Llanes | 15.00% | 1,886 |
| Alexander Wilson | 10.84% | 1,363 |
| Total Votes | 12,575 | |
| Source: Sachem City School District, "Sachem Central School District Official Vote Results," accessed May 17, 2016 | ||
Candidates
Tony Falco 
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Bevin Llanes | Carol Locklin | |||
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| Mike Matlat
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Dennis O’Hara | ||
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| Alexander Wilson | Sara Wottawa
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Additional elections
- See also: New York elections, 2016
The Sachem Central school board election shared the ballot with the district's annual budget and a bond vote.
Key deadlines
The following dates are key deadlines for Sachem Central School District in 2016:[6]
| Deadline | Event |
|---|---|
| April 18, 2016 | Candidate filing deadline |
| April 22, 2016 | First campaign finance deadline |
| May 17, 2016 | Election Day |
| May 30, 2016 | Final campaign finance deadline |
Endorsements
Llanes and Wottawa received official endorsements from the advocacy group Long Island Opt-Out.[7]
Campaign finance
No contributions or expenditures were reported during the election, according to the New York State Board of Elections.[8]
What was at stake?
2016
Issues in the district
New superintendent selected
Kenneth Graham was selected unanimously by the Sachem Central Board of Education to become the new superintendent of the district. Graham replaced retiring superintendent James Nolan who was hired into the role in 2009. Previous to becoming the superintendent at Sachem Central, Graham worked as the assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction in the Long Beach Island Consolidated School District. Graham worked in the Long Beach school district for the majority of his career. He worked as a science teacher and the leader of the district's science program. Graham began his job at Sachem Central on July 1, 2016.[9][10]
District closes three schools in wake of multi-million dollar defecit
In December 2015, the Sachem Central Board of Education voted to close three schools in the district, one of which was built only 11 years prior. The board voted 6-3 to close Sequoya Middle School, Tecumseh Elementary School, and Gatelot Elementary School in the Fall of 2016. Those opposing the closure plan were Michael Timo, Teri Ahearn, and Robert Scavo.[11][12]
The board cited low enrollment in the aforementioned schools and the rising costs of health care pensions and special education as reasons for closing the schools. The board tried other cost-cutting measures in September 2015. The made $2.5 million in spending cuts by eliminating 13 custodial/maintenance positions and budgets for clubs and sports. The board decided to keep kindergarten teacher aides at a cost of $345,000 after parents fought to keep them in the classroom. The cuts were not enough and led to the board voting to close the three schools.[13]
About the district
- See also: Sachem Central School District, New York
Brentwood Union Free School District is located in southern New York in Suffolk County. The county seat is Riverhead. Suffolk County was home to 1,501,587 residents in 2015, according to the United States Census Bureau.[14] Sachem Central School District is located in New York. The district was the seventh-largest school district in the state in the 2013–2014 school year and served 14,061 students.[15]
Demographics
Suffolk County underperformed in comparison to New York as a whole in terms of higher education achievement in 2014. The United States Census Bureau found that 33.5 percent of county residents aged 25 years and older had attained a bachelor's degree compared to 33.7 percent of state residents. The median household income in Suffolk County was $88,323, compared to $58,687 for the state. The poverty rate in the county was 7.7 percent, compared to 15.9 percent for the entire state.[14]
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Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Sachem Central School District' 'New York'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
| Sachem Central School District | New York | School Boards |
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External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Tiffany Rouse, "Email correspondence with Sachem District Clerk Carol Adelberg," April 19, 2016
- ↑ Sachem Central School District, "Board of Education Members," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ Abbey Smith, "Email communication with Carol Adelberg, District clerk of the Sachem Central School District," April 30, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 New York State School Boards Association, "Timeline - 2015 Annual Budget Vote & School Board Election," accessed April 13, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Sachem Central School District, "Board Policies: 2000," accessed April 24, 2015
- ↑ New York Board of Electons, "Campaign Finance Handbook," accessed April 15, 2016
- ↑ Facebook, "Bevin Llanes for Sachem Board of Education," May 11, 2016
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "Campaign Finance Disclosure," accessed May
- ↑ Newsday, "Sachem school district names Graham as new superintendent," April 13, 2016
- ↑ Long Beach Patch, "Kenneth Graham Appointed Assist. Superintendent for Curriculum," January 30, 2013
- ↑ CBS New York, "3 Long Island Schools Closing Due To Budget Deficit, Low Enrollment," December 17, 2015
- ↑ New York CBS, "Sachem Central District To Close 3 Schools," October 29, 2015
- ↑ Newsday, "What Sachem School District building closings mean for Long Island," December 23, 2015
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 United States Census Bureau, "Suffolk County, New York," accessed April 25, 2016
- ↑ National Center for Education Statistics, "ELSI Table Generator," accessed November 16, 2015
- ↑ New York State Board of Elections, "NYS Voter Enrollment by County, Party Affiliation and Status - Voters Registered as of April 1, 2016," accessed April 25, 2016
| 2016 Sachem Central School District Elections | |
| Suffolk County, New York | |
| Election date: | May 17, 2016 |
| Candidates: | At-large: • Incumbent, Tony Falco • Bevin Llanes • Carol Locklin • Mike Matlat • Dennis O'Hara • Alexander Wilson • Sara Wottawa |
| Important information: | What was at stake? • Key deadlines • Additional elections on the ballot |
