All Area School Budgets Are Approved
by Doug La Rocque
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about many changes in our lives, and one of them was how school budget voting was handled this year. Normally, voters (those who did not submit an absentee ballot) marched off to their local polling place to say yea or nay to their school district’s spending proposal, voice their opinion as to who should sit on the local school board, as well as any other propositions that might be on the ballot.
Not this year though, with schools closed and no large public gatherings allowed, Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered all ballots be mailed in by June 9. The somewhat narrow time frame between the issuance of the Executive Order and the receive by date, caused several problems. Some school districts were not able to have ballots printed in a timely manner, and there were issues caused by the United States Postal Service allegedly delivering many ballots to the wrong townships. To relieve this, Governor Cuomo extended the deadline for the ballots to be received by school districts to 5 pm on Tuesday, June 16.
The Berlin, Hoosick Falls, New Lebanon and Brittonkill districts were all ready to start counting right at 5 pm, and when the numbers were tabulated, the budgets in all four districts were passed.
The Numbers
In Hoosick Falls, voters approved a $23.3 million spending plan that called for a .98% tax hike, by a 563 to 200 margin. Also approved were a Bus purchase, the creation of a Capital Building Reserve and a Capital Bus Reserve. Incumbent board members John Helft and Jackie Houghton were re-elected.
Concluding his first year as District Superintendent, Pat Daily said “we are very pleased with the results. Conducting an entire budget vote via absentee ballot was challenging. There was quite a bit of uncertainty resulting from the process and lack of direct contact with the community due to the closure and social distancing restrictions. We want to thank the community for its continued support.”
In New Lebanon, the $12.7 million spending proposal was approved by a 286 to 77 vote count. This calls for a .8% tax hike. Former school board member Sharon Putnam and incumbent Richard Sime were elected to seats on the board. Retiring School Superintendent Leslie Whitcomb said after the vote, “I give my thanks to the community for their ongoing support of our students and our programs. I congratulate Sharon Putnam and Richard Sime and also thank them for stepping up to serve the NLCSD community.”
In Brunswick, voters in the Brittonkill School District gave their blessing to a $26.1 million budget, that called for a 2.99% tax hike. The margin of approval there was 229 votes, with 668 ballots marked yes, to 439 that said no. District Superintendent Dr. Angelina Maloney telling The Eastwick Press after the vote, “I am very appreciative of the support given to the Brunswick CSD by our community. During a challenging time, our community members have given us the authority to provide a robust and well-rounded program for our students.”
In Berlin, a $21.8 million budget, that called for a 1.81% tax hike, was approved by 712 yes to 442 no. A bus proposition also gained voters favor, 683 to 470. Incumbent Frank Zwack, along with newcomer Derrick Gardner, were elected to the Board of Education.