After its initial budget proposal fell by 33 votes, the Saugerties Central School District’s (SCSD) Board of Education last week voted unanimously to approve a revised 2024-25 spending plan of $77,182,384. The new spending plan trimmed $569,061 from their first budget proposal, and will only need to pass the 50 percent threshold at the polls on Tuesday, June 18 to succeed.
Last month, the SCSD saw its $75,173,678 budget proposal closely fail to garner the support of a supermajority of voters it needed to pass. Because the district sought a tax levy increase greater than their 3.62 limit presented by the state, they needed the approval of 60 percent or greater to succeed; the budget proposal came with a tax levy increase of 4.91 percent. After counting affidavit votes and absentee ballots, the results were 940 votes for the budget proposal, and 690 votes against.
This time around, the budget is at the 3.62 percent tax cap, and will need a simple majority to pass. District officials shared that the estimated tax impact for the revised budget would be an annual increase of $110 for properties assessed at $200,000, $165 for properties assessed at $300,000, and $220 for properties assessed at $400,000. Those figures are for properties not receiving a STAR tax burden reduction.
Even with 250 more yes votes on a larger budget proposal, district officials are concerned about what happens if this budget proposal doesn’t pass: An automatic contingency budget, which only funds contractual expenses, like teachers’ salaries and items deemed by the school board to be ordinary contingent expenditures such as legal obligations, expenses authorized by statute and other items necessary to maintain the educational program, safeguard and maintain property and ensure the health and safety of students. It also eliminates free public use of district facilities by the community.
A contingency budget would require further cuts of $2,626,079.
At the Tuesday, June 4 school board meeting where trustees approved the revised budget, William Ball said voters who support the school district would have to turn up at the polls on June 18.
“The unfortunate situation that we find ourselves in is that this budget at the cap also has the possibility of being defeated,” Ball said. “I encourage anyone and everyone that has expressed their interests and their concerns to us in email and social media and in person to recognize that getting out the vote is extremely, extremely important.To go to contingency would be calamitous for our district, and it would be setting us on a path for really simply trying to recover for many, many, many, many years.”
School Board President Robert Thomann expressed similar concerns.
“When I was coming out here tonight, I was hoping to see 100 people approach the podium and say, ‘I didn’t vote last time, but I’m going to vote today for the budget,’” Thomann said. “We just didn’t see that. On social media, we didn’t see it…If you want minimal cuts for your students in the districts, you need to come out and vote again for the budget. If you want to see education slide backwards, you can come out and vote no…My prayer is that the budget passes this time.”
Trimming a further $569,061 from the spending plan means the district will no longer be able to contribute to a community-based pre-K organization; will lose armed security at the former Mt. Marion Elementary School, where the pre-K program is housed; will no longer have district-sponsored field trips; will cut the modified sports program; will see one full time school counselor position reduced to part time; and will eliminated one secondary assistant principal, one athletic trainer, and three non-mandated teaching assistants who do not serve special education students.
At the June 4 meeting, district superintendent Dan Erceg said he shared the disappointment of other parents in the district who wanted the initial budget to pass.
“I just need to reemphasize that I live here, I have kids in the district,” he said. “Any reductions are going to be an impact to my children as well.”
Unlike the May 21 vote, there will only be one polling place open in Saugerties on Tuesday, June 18, the Saugerties junior high school gymnasium, which will be open from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.
The change was partly due to school being in session on June 18, and consolidating to a single location will minimize disruption and allow for a more secure single location while kids are in the classroom. But there is also a cost-savings of $4,200 associated with a single polling location.
“We understand that this change may not be optimal for every individual in our district, but given the safety and security challenges presented, it was an important decision,” said Erceg in a district press release dated Friday, June 7. “We appreciate everyone’s cooperation as we strive to ensure the best voting environment possible and encourage anyone who may have challenges voting in person to request an early mail ballot so they are able to participate.”
Applications for absentee or early mail ballots can be picked up before Monday, June 17 at the Hildebrandt Building on the SHS Jr./Sr. high campus and must be completed and received by the district clerk by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18.
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