Long Island school board elections on Tuesday represented a return to a sense of normalcy, local election observers say: where the majority of wins went to incumbents and candidates endorsed by local teacher unions after quiet campaigns.

Across Long Island, 124 districts held votes Tuesday on spending plans totaling a combined $15.2 billion, with property tax levies totaling $9.5 billion. All but two budgets passed: West Hempstead in Nassau County and Wainscott on the East End.

Sag Harbor voters this week rejected a proposition to purchase property adjacent to Pierson Middle/High School. The district initially sought to acquire the Marsden Street property in a partnership with Southampton Town to build an athletic field, but those plans fell through.

The Town of Riverhead has become the first Long Island municipality to declare a state of emergency regarding asylum-seekers, blocking motels and other facilities from accepting New York City migrants, joining nearly a dozen counties statewide.

Populations in Long Island's towns and cities shrank, with the exception of three East End towns, according to 2022 U.S. Census Bureau estimates released today, and experts say the trend may be linked to Long Island's housing options.