Increased voter turnout, a low average tax hike and election year funding are three of the reasons experts say Long Islanders approved 85 percent of school budgets on Super Tuesday.

After two years of record budget defeats, only 19 districts head back to the drawing board after their budgets were shot down. Students in East Islip say they are dismayed after voters rejected a nearly 15 percent increase in school taxes. Many say they are concerned about what programs will need to be cut if the district goes on a contingency budget.

Experts say schools receive more state aid in an election year, which they say kept the average tax hike to just under 6 percent. Twenty-one districts were on a contingency budget last year, including Islip and Plainedge. Many residents in those districts say they didn?t want students to suffer through another year in which tens of thousands of dollars had to be raised to fund sports teams and other programs.

Related Information: LI School Vote 2006 Results