Mahopac to Send Revised School Budget Back to Voters
News Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Mahopac School District officials were forced to go back to the drawing board after voters rejected a $133 million budget last week by eight votes.
A few days after the proposed 2022-2023 spending plan was defeated 1,225-1,217, the Board of Education decided it would seek public input before voters get a second crack on Tuesday, June 21 from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Mahopac High School.
“We look forward to community input on the budget so that we can move forward in a constructive manner that will benefit our students and community,” said Superintendent of Schools Anthony DiCarlo. “We want to hear your concerns about district spending and budget increases, and still make certain that our students remain competitive as they look to college and career opportunities. Doing so will ensure that Mahopac continues to be the kind of community that attracts future homeowners and families.”
With the budget getting a thumbs down, the Board of Education has the options of either presenting the same budget, asking DiCarlo to lower the budget by making additional cuts, or adopting a contingency budget in which district officials would have to trim more than $3 million. Those cuts would likely affect staffing at all levels, extra-curricular activities, sports and transportation.
Before a revised budget is decided upon, the Board of Education wants to hear from the Mahopac community. The board has put together a survey to gather the community’s thoughts and asks residents to fill it out. It can be accessed on the District Clerk’s page of Mahopac.org.
The board will also hold several discussions before the next vote and encourages all Mahopac residents to attend and speak up. The schedule of meetings are:
- May 24: BOE Budget Work Session 6:30 p.m., Falls School, PD Room
- May 31: Budget Forum, 7 p.m., Falls School Auditorium
- June 2: BOE adoption of budget 7 p.m. Falls School Auditorium
- June 6: Budget Statement made available and posted on MCSD website
- June 9: Budget Hearing, 7 p.m., Falls School Auditorium
Residents did approve a $1.16 million proposition to buy several buses and vans, 1,331-1,102.
In the Board of Education race for three seats, Jonathan Schneider led the six-candidate field with 1,234 votes to win his first three-year term. Incumbent Trustee Adam Savino finished second with 1,182 and Fernando Martinez was third with 1,110.
Falling short were Roger Duran with 1,027 votes, Mark Kadan with 999 and Chris Harrigan with 974.
Meanwhile, the Garrison Board of Education will be holding a special meeting on Wednesday, May 25 to decide its next steps after the district’s $12 million budget failed when voters were deadlocked 314-314.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
