The “yes” votes heavily outweighed the “no votes,” 1,712-704. Jeffrey Hastie and Salvador Fernandez were elected to the Board of Education, according to unofficial results. The budget represents a 1.41 percent tax levy increase for homeowners.
The spending plan represents a 2.5 percent budget-to-budget increase over last year.
Improving school safety is something that the Board of Education stressed in this year’s budget. The district will spend $50,000 on keyless entry systems, nearly $100,000 on window shades and $15,000 for a visitor management system at the high school. An additional $80,000 has been allotted for new public address systems and other safety devices.
The district, like countless others around Westchester County, continues to be plagued by escalating unfunded mandates. Since 2008, retirement contributions have increased from $15.6 million (3.3 percent of the budget) to more than $23 million (9.4 percent), even while reducing staff.
Votes for school board
- Jeffrey Hastie: 1,363
- Salvador Fernandez: 1,533
- Ricardo Monzon: 1,222
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