05/21/2025
Turnout was relatively high but the outcome on budget was not what we worked toward, unfortunately. Thanks to all the students, families, and others who shared their stories. Thanks to those who advocated within your circles.
And specifically to the young people who stood up at board meetings and allowed us to include your perspectives in our videos: please try not to stay in a place of discouragement too long. It might feel like your time and work was for nothing. It might feel like your community is rejecting your story, and even you. Know that you are not alone, that we still support you. This difficult phase our community is in won’t last forever. And your continued involvement in this and other local issues will be critical to our ability to move forward together.
This is a disappointing outcome and we aren’t sure what the next steps will be, but we will always be proud of voting and advocating for students and our schools/educators.
We do know that the district can now decide to put forth another budget proposal, so we should be watching for that news and new voting date. But that can only happen once a year. If the second budget fails to garner the support it needs, we will be required by law to operate on a contingency budget. That’s defined specifically by the state of New York but essentially means the district would need to adopt a budget with no increase in tax levy (not even one that was at or below the tax cap).
Please continue to follow this page for more info as it becomes available. And hold onto your yard signs. You might need them again - possibly in the very near future. 😎
