Residents will head to the polls Tuesday, May 19, to vote on school budgets, propositions and board of education members, and local libraries allocations and boards of trustees.
Today, we present the elections to be held in Otsego and Schoharie counties. Chenango and Delaware counties ran in our Thursday, May 14 edition. Both sets of information on the upcoming school elections are available on our website.
Schoharie Central School residents will vote on a $3.9 million capital project to improve the junior/senior high school building’s energy efficiency. It would replace the oil tank with a propane tank, upgrade the heating and ventilation system and replace the front doors to the building.
Some school districts will ask residents permission to establish capital reserve funds to help pay for construction costs or bus purchases. Some districts will ask voters to use certain reserve funds to pay for items.
The state Education Department allows districts to set up capital reserve funds to purchase buses and other equipment or help pay for building repairs and additions. The proposition put before voters must specify the purpose of the fund, the ultimate dollar amount to be deposited into the reserve, probably terms or life and source of funds to be deposited into the reserve, a worksheet on the state Education Department website said. Voters must approve starting the fund and taking any money out of the fund when projects arise.
Richfield Springs Central School will ask residents to establish a tax levy to fund the public libraries in their districts. Richfield Springs residents will be asked to fund an annual levy of $213,903 to fund the Richfield Springs Public Library.
According to the Richfield Springs budget newsletter the districts would join Deposit, Greene, Marathon, Norwich, Oxford, Fenton, Whitney Point, Lisle, Cherry Valley, Springfield, Afton, Bainbridge, Cooperstown, Hartwick, Edmeston, Franklin, Milford, Morris, New Berlin, South New Berlin, Otego, Unadilla, Sherburne, Smyrna, Stamford, Vestal, Worcester, and Walton in the Four County Library System in funding the public libraries in their districts.
The following information was provided by school officials or was found on district websites. Poll times vary according to district and are listed.
OTSEGO COUNTY
Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m., use the band room entrance.
Budget (+3.99%): $15,504,621.
Tax levy: +3.5%
Proposition: Two bus purchases, use a capital reserve fund to purchase a copier.
School board (1): Lydia Lusk and Cody Duncan.
Cooperstown Central School
Polls open: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Budget: $24,877,283.
Tax levy: +2.72%.
School board (2): Nicholas Marcantonio, Christopher Franck and Maggie Dowd.
Proposition: Lease-purchase two 63 passenger school buses; library tax for the Village of Cooperstown Library and the Kinney Memorial Library.
Edmeston Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+5.81%): $12,342,404
Tax levy: +2% – this is above the 1.67% allowed by the state, so it will need to pass by 60% or greater.
Proposition: Use capital reserve fund to purchase two buses.
School board (1): Amy Pavelka.
Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+1.73%): $11,760,000.
Tax levy: +2.5%.
School board (2): Christopher Ostrander and Jed Barnes.
Laurens Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m. in room 115.
Budget (+2.70%): $12,271,115.
Tax levy: +2.75% which is higher than the 0% allowed by the state, so it will need to be passed by 60% or more.
Proposition: Bus purchase.
School board (1): Peggy Bush-Allen.
Milford Central School
Polls open: 2 to 8 p.m.
Budget (+5.77%): $13,223,140
Tax levy: +3.99%
Proposition: To reduce the number of board of education members from seven to five, Milford Library tax.
School board (3): Dan Atkinson, Michael Foy, Meghan Johnston and Matthew Presutti.
Morris Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+8.5%): $12,857,190
Tax levy: +2.82%
School board (2): According to the budget newsletter, “There were no candidates who had turned in a completed petition at the time the newsletter was printed.”
Oneonta City Schools
Polls open: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Foothills Performing Arts and Civic Center at 24 Market St.
Budget: $53,159,090.
Tax levy: +2.22%.
Proposition: Bus purchase – four new buses.
School board (2):
Richfield Springs Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+4.56%): $15,332,764
Tax levy: +10.03%
Proposition: Bus and minivan purchase, establishing and funding a public library tax levy for the Richfield Public Library.
School board (1):
Schenevus Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+2.14%): $11,531,055
Tax levy: +3%
Propositions: Bus purchase, establish a capital reserve fund for future construction projects.
School board (1): Cory Spooner.
Unatego Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m., Unatego Middle/High School.
Budget (+5.9%): $27,898,736.
Tax levy: +2.98%
Proposition: Library tax levy for Harris and Unadilla public libraries.
School board (3): Cindy O’Hara, Brian Davis and Byron McMichael.
Worcester Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+0%): $13,607,856
Tax levy: +2.28%
Propositions: Bus purchase and increasing the tax levy for the Worcester Public Library.
School board (1): William Fisher II.
SCHOHARIE COUNTY
Cobleskill-Richmondville Central
Polls open: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Budget (+1.48%): $49,131,657.
Tax levy: +1.91%.
Proposition: Community library levy.
School board (3): Amy Kennedy, Kayla Mahoney, Angela Clapper, Sarah Nies.
Library board (3): Nathan Davis, Tania Konwinski, Colleen Mahar
Gilboa-Conesville Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+4.05%): $13,390,903.
Tax levy: +2.5%
Propositions: Use capital reserve funds to purchase a bus and Suburban.
School board (1): Jacqueline McGuire, Aurora Zinck-Cornell.
Jefferson Central School
Polls open: Noon to 9 p.m.
Budget (+2.33%): $8,307,303.
Tax levy: +2.59%.
Proposition: Purchase one bus.
School board (1): Marc Lawrence.
Middleburgh Central School
Polls open: Noon to 9 p.m.
Budget (+2.06%): $25,616,095
Tax levy: +1.5%
Propositions: Purchase two buses.
School board (1): Bonnie Snyder.
Schoharie Central School
Polls open: Noon to 8 p.m.
Budget (+5.24%): $29.8 million.
Tax levy: +2.95%
Propositions: Bus purchase; Schoharie Free Library levy.
School board (2).
Sharon Springs Central
Polls open: Noon to 9 p.m.
Budget (+0.08%): $11,597,291
Tax levy: +2.4%
School board (1): Patrick Yacobucci and Scott Cornwell.