Voters approve all local school budgets
Proposed budgets for 2017-18 have been approved in all nine school districts in Ulster County and all four in Northern Dutchess.
All separate spending propositions on district ballots also were approved in Tuesday’s voting.
Two districts — New Paltz and Rhinebeck — needed (and received) at least 60 percent voter support for their budgets because the spending plans included property tax levies that exceeded the caps set by the state.
Here’s a district-by-district roundup of the results.
Kingston
Voters backed the proposed $169.6 million budget by a tally of 1,863-1,012, re-elected three
school board members and approved two separate propositions.
The budget is 4.9 percent larger than the district’s 2016-17 spending plan has a property tax levy of $101.7 million, up 1.35 percent.
Re-elected to the Board of Education were Nora Scherer, with 1,907 votes, Rev. James Childs Sr., with 1,713, and Priscilla Lowe, with 1,631. They will serve three-year terms.
Out of the running were challengers Herbert Lamb, with 1,132 votes, and Steven Spicer, with 1,051.
A proposition to use $4.2 million from a capital reserve account to convert the former Frank L. Meagher Elementary School in Midtown Kingston into district administrative offices and a prekindergarten center was approved, 1,727-1,137.
A proposition to change the mileage minimum for bus transportation of middle schoolers from 1.5 miles to 1 mile was approved, 1,895-960.
Ellenville
School district residents approved a $49.9 million budget by a vote of 590-183, returned two incumbents to the Board of Education and elected a former trustee.
The budget increases spending 3.5 percent over the current year’s spending plan and has a property tax levy of $23.6 million, 1.4 percent larger than this year’s amount.
In the race for three seats on the board, each of which has a three-year term, voters chose incumbents Philip Mattracion and Willie Bruce, as well as former Trustee John Burns. Mattracion received 471 votes, while Bruce received 448 and Burns received 464.
Out of the running were incumbent Karen Osterhoudt, with 332 votes; Cassie Spoor, with 319; and Francis Gurgui, with 105.
Highland
Voters approved a $42.9 million budget by a margin of 636-293 and passed a proposition to purchase new vehicles.
The budget increases spending by $1.34 million, or 3.2 percent, over the current budget. The spending plan includes a $28.8 million property tax levy, which is 2.9 percent larger than the 2016-17 levy.
A proposition to spend $750,000 for five 65-passenger buses and three 29-passenger vans was approved, 589-338.
Voters also re-elected two incumbents to the district’s Board of Education. Heather Welch received 694 votes; Alan Barone drew 67. They ran unopposed.
Hyde Park
The $91.7 million budget was approved 1,314-445, and unopposed Board of Education candidates Douglas Hieter and Jeffrey Danielson were elected with 1,397 and 1,396 votes, respectively.
A $982,000 proposition to buy school buses was approved, 1,283-473; a propostion to establish a $5 million capital reserve fund was approved, 1,330-423; and a proposition to have a nonvoting student member on the board was approved, 1,401-345.
Marlboro
The $56.7 million budget was approved 503-19.
Elected to the Board of Education were Susan Horton, John Cantone and James Kuha.
New Paltz
The proposed $59 million budget easily topped the 60 percent support level it needed for approval, and voters ousted an incumbent school board member.
The vote in favor of the budget was 1,561-667, meaning it was backed by 70.1 percent of the people casting ballots. The budget needed at least 60 percent support because its property tax levy of $41.1 million exceeds the state’s limit for the district by $460,000.
The entire budget is 2.6 percent larger than its 201617 counterpart. The tax levy is 2.3 percent higher.
Elected to three-year seats on the Board of Education were Kathy Preston, with 1,478 votes, and Teresa Thompson, with 1,215.
Incumbent Steven Greenfield finished out of the running with 1,038 votes.
Onteora
Residents voted 724-212 in favor of a $54.3 million budget.
The spending plan is 2 percent larger than the district’s 2016-17 budget and has a property tax levy of $41.3 million, up 1.8 percent.
Elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education were incumbent Laurie Osmond, with 721 votes, incumbent Bennet Ratcliff, with 714, and newcomer Robert Burke Warren, with 738.
Former board member Rob Kurnit, with 701 votes, was elected to fill a vacancy on the board for one year.
Pine Plains
The $31.6 million budget was approved by a vote of 319-151.
Also approved were a bus purchase proposition (324145) and a capital project proposal (345-125).
Elected to the Board of Education were Karen Orton, with 379 votes, and James Griffen, with 377.
Red Hook
The proposed $52.7 million budget was approved by a vote of 894-272.
The budget is 1.8 percent larger than the district’s 2016-17 spending plan and has a property tax levy of $32.9 million, up 2.4 percent.
Elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education were incumbent Dawn Morrison, with 660 votes, and Jennifer Munn, with 531. Out of the running were Gretchen Werner, with 426 votes, and Lauren Rose, with 332.
A $330,000 proposition to buy two 65-passenger buses, a wheelchair van and a 2005 Ford Expedition was approved, 902-261.
Also, voters gave 873-286 approval to the Red Hook Library budget and voted 973-191 in favor of allowing a nonvoting student representative to sit on the Board of Education.
Rhinebeck
Seven votes made the difference.
The $33.1 million budget, needing support from 60 percent of voters in order to take effect because its property tax levy exceeds the state cap, was approved by a tally of 577-374, a margin of 60.67 percent to 39.33 percent. If seven of the “yes” voters had instead cast ballots against the budget, it would have been defeated.
The budget is 3.1 percent larger than the district’s 2016-17 spending plan and has a tax levy of $27.9 million, up 3.9 percent. The levy exceeds the state’s cap for the Rhinebeck district by $456,781.
Winning three-year seats on the Board of Education were Jaclyn Savolainen, with 580 votes, and Elizabeth Raum, with 496.
Joe Baer finished out of the running with 491 votes.
Rondout Valley
Voters supported the $63.4 million budget by a tally of 906-230.
The budget increases spending by 2.7 percent from the 2016-17 level and has a $35.2 million property tax levy, down 1.35 percent.
Voters also elected three new members to the Board of Education.
Winning three-year seats were Chris Schoonmaker, with 885 votes, Megan Snair, with 629, and Breanna Costello, with 611.
Out of the running were Fallon Wynkoop, with 449 votes, and Kim Cohen, with 310 votes.
Schoonmaker, Snair and Costello will replace current board members James Ayers, James Blair and Glenn Dannaham, who chose not to seek re-election.
Saugerties
District residents voted 1,104-496 to approve a $62.4 million budget. They also replaced a longtime member of the Board of Education with the district’s retired director of special education.
The budget increases spending by $1.3 million, or 2.2 percent, over the current year’s budget and has a property tax levy of $37.8 million, which is up 1.6 percent.
Of the five candidates seeking three seats on the Board of Education, voters re-elected incumbents Krista Barringer and Damion Ferraro but ousted Charles Schirmer in favor of Susan Gage, who is retired from the school district.
Gage received 1,038 votes, while Ferraro drew 954 and Barringer got 846. Schirmer finished out of the running with 717 votes. Also coming up short was Alex Rappoport, with 673 votes.
Barringer, Ferraro and Gage will serve three-year terms.
By a vote of 1,046-555, voters approved a proposition to construct a greenhouse on the middle/high school campus.
Voters also approved, 1,061-530, a proposition to establish a capital reserve fund.
Wallkill
The $73.7 million budget was approved by a vote of 644-250.
Elected to the three-year terms on the Board of Education were incumbents Dennis O’Mara, with 725 votes, Vincent Petroccelli, with 703, and Kathy Anderson, with 695.