Rockland school elections: 5 takeaways
Elections for school budget referendums and board members were held Tuesday in Rockland County's eight public school districts.
Echoing a statewide trend, the majority of budgets were approved by voters. Spending plans for the 2017-18 school year passed in Clarkstown, Nanuet, Nyack, North Rockland, Pearl River, Ramapo Central and South Orangetown.
East Ramapo was one of five budgets across the state that failed.
Here are five takeaways from the local elections.
1. Turnout
Turnout was, for the most part, quite low.
In North Rockland, 2,265 out of 29,083 registered voters went to the polls. In Clarkstown, 2,273 of 35,624 registered voters weighed in on the budget, while South Orangetown saw 1,658 of the district's 14,454 registered voters come out.
Ramapo Central and East Ramapo bucked the trend.
In East Ramapo, 14,400 of 58,000 registered voters participated, which is about 25 percent. And, in Ramapo Central, about 4,000 of the district's 18,500 registered voters came out and approved a $137 million budget.
Ramapo Central Deputy Superintendent Steven Walker said Tuesday's turnout was "significantly higher than it's been in recent years."
"We typically see 2,200 or 2,500 votes, so 4,000 votes smashes a record going back decades," said Walker, who attributed it to the district's efforts to make a priority of informing and engaging the community in the budget process.
In general, fewer people statewide are hitting the polls each spring. Last year, about 578,000 people voted in school budget and board elections, an almost 40 percent decrease from the one million people who cast ballots before a limit was placed on how much districts could raise through taxes, according to the New York State Association of School Business Officials.
Since 2012, when New York implemented a tax-levy cap on school budgets, the majority have passed at a rate of more than 98 percent and are only likely to fail if they exceed the cap.
2. What's next for East Ramapo?
After an overwhelming majority of voters defeated East Ramapo's tax-cap busting $232.6 million budget, Board President Yehuda Weissmandl said the school board plans to amend the proposal and send it back out for a vote on June 20.
"Now it's time to go back to the drawing board to fine tune a plan that addresses the needs of our multi-cultural, beautifully diverse student population, a plan that is good for the children and a plan that can garner voter approval," Weissmandl said in a statement.
East Ramapo's state-appointed monitors will work with school officials, as well as the community, "to consider the district's options and move forward," Emily DeSantis, a spokesperson for the state education department, said.
The budget rejected by voters called for a 2.49 percent tax levy increase and would have restored busing for private school students when district schools are off.
East Ramapo is one of three districts across New York that sought 60 percent voter approval to override the tax cap. Only 13 percent of voters backed the budget.
Between 2004 and 2012, six East Ramapo's budgets have failed.
3. Longtime incumbents not returning
South Orangetown School Board President Guy DeVincenzo, who recently denied accusations he plagiarized part of a campaign statement to The Journal News, was ousted from his seat by newcomer Christine Lee. DeVincenzo, who had served nearly a decade, received 392 votes while Lee got 1,092 votes.
In Nyack, voters filled three open seats with two incumbents, Jennifer Marraccino, who received 999 votes, James Marshall, 939 votes, and newcomer Beth Davidson, who earned 1,019 votes. Leann Irvin, the board's vice president, netted 546 votes and was not re-elected to a third term.
Voters in the Ramapo Central district elected Paul Shapiro, a longtime educator in East Ramapo, and Thomas Donnelly, who has a law enforcement background. Shapiro got 3,277 votes, Donnelly received 3,566 votes and Darrell Fraiser netted 1,003 votes.
Trustees Marlyse Haward, who began serving in 2014, and Craig Long, who has been on the board since 2002, did not seek re-election, leaving two seats open on Ramapo Central's board.
4. Full-day Kindergarten in North Rockland
For the 2017-18 school year, the district will pilot an all-day kindergarten program by reallocating Federal Title 1 funding in its $216 million budget.
Three elementary schools will offer one session each and the district will fill seats through a lottery process.
North Rockland, which is among the few districts in the state that only offers half-day Kindergarten, has seen school closures, teacher layoffs and higher property taxes due to a decade-old, multi-million dollar tax settlement. And the cash-strapped district has been unable to fund a universal full-day program, which could cost between $13 million to $14 million over five years.
Earlier this year, Assemblymen Ken Zebrowski and James Skoufis announced $4 million in grants to help the district, which Superintendent Illeana Eckert has said will be placed in reserve.
5. Pearl River's $29M capital bond
A $29 million capital improvement bond referendum was approved by 1,551 votes to 438 votes.
According to bond information on the district's website, funding will cover upgrades and improvements at the high school and its athletic fields, the middle school and Pearl River's three elementary schools.
Notable projects include: An expansion of the middle school gym, creation of a performing arts wing and renovation of existing music rooms at the middle school; construction of a music, arts and technology wing at the high school, renovations to the high school's library and science classrooms, a rebuild of high school locker rooms and upgrades to athletic fields at the high school.