HALDANE
By a vote of 449-67, or 87 percent approval, Haldane district residents on Tuesday (May 16) passed a budget of $28,234,681, which will increase the tax levy by 1.96 percent, or the amount allowed by Haldane’s state-mandated tax cap. A home with a market value of $500,000 will see an annual tax increase of $138, according to the district. The turnout was 12 percent.
The budget includes funding for a class of up to eight students in kindergarten through the second grade with autism or similar needs ($166,000); a new special education teacher at the secondary level ($91,000); a French teacher ($91,000); and equipment to teach coding, robotics, design and engineering ($13,500).
A second proposition on the ballot, which passed 440-75, will allow the district to spend $183,000 to replace a school bus and purchase a tractor and Ford pickup truck for maintenance.
There was one open seat on the five-member board, and one candidate, Peggy Clements, who received 456 votes to win her fourth 3-year term. The other members of the board are Sean McNall (whose term ends in 2025), John Hedlund (2024), Maggie Valentine (2024) and Ezra Clementson (2025).
GARRISON
By a vote of 281-94, or 75 percent approval, Garrison district residents on Tuesday passed a budget of $12,564,788, which will increase the tax levy by 3.29 percent, or the amount allowed by Garrison’s state-mandated tax cap. A home with a market value of $500,000 will see an annual tax increase of $151, according to the district. The turnout was 17 percent.
To balance the budget, the district will spend nearly $700,000 of its savings and make $220,000 in cuts, including changing the art teacher from full-time to part-time; eliminating the part-time Committee on Special Education chair and assigning those duties to the school psychologist; and dropping a bus from its contract fleet and adjusting routes to allow for one less driver, perhaps stopping service for any child who lives within 2 miles of the school.
There were two other propositions on the ballot: (1) to take $45,000 from a capital reserve fund to replace the district’s oil-based water heaters with electric units, which passed 334-41, and (2) to allow the district to contract for two to five years (rather than one) to allow students to attend Putnam Valley High School, which passed 290-85. (Garrison goes through eighth grade; students can then choose Haldane, O’Neill or Putnam Valley high schools.)
There are three open seats on the seven-member board, and three candidates were elected: Jocelyn Apicello, who won her second 3-year term with 275 votes, and newcomers Jennifer Harriton-Wilson (268) and Dan Jasnow (285).
The other members of the board are Sarah Tormey (whose term ends in 2025), Courtney McCarthy (2024), David Gelber (2024) and Kent Schacht (2025). Madeline Julian resigned in March and Matthew Speiser did not seek re-election.
