Polls open at four Clarkstown schools at 7 a.m. Tuesday morning for registered voters to cast their ballots for the and for candidates who are running for three open seats on the Board of Education. The polling stations are open until 9 p.m. at Clarkstown North High School - District One; Congers Elementary School - District Two; Link Elementary School - District Three and West Nyack Elementary School - District Four.
The $180,931,141 proposed budget is 3.02 percent higher than last year’s spending plan. It would increase the tax rate by 2.37 percent or an average of $163 per homeowner. It stays within the state property tax cap.
The proposed budget keeps instructional programs and staff at their current levels. It includes funds to renovate the heating system at Clarkstown North and to continue its Technology Refresh program. If passed, the budget would draw almost $6 million from reserve funds.
Three Board of Education seats with three-year terms are up for election. The six candidates include four newcomers and two incumbents. Learn more about the candidates by reading their answers to Patch's questions.
The first-time candidates are: , , and . Seeking their second terms are Donna Ehrenberg and Phil DeGaetano. Current Board President Doug Katz decided not to run for re-election.
There are still opportunities to gather information about the budget and candidates. You can view the superintendent’s budget presentation to the district's PTAs in the PDF file attached to this article. The Clarkstown Council of PTAs videotaped its Candidates Forum.
The Board of Education holds a special meeting Tuesday evening at 10 p.m. to hear the results of the budget vote and school board election.
