Budget Information

Update regarding delay in mailing of absentee ballots

Due to a statewide supply shortage of envelopes, there has been a delay in the mailing of Monroe-Woodbury Central School District absentee ballots. On Friday, May 29, the school district was made aware of the delay by NTS, the company responsible for the printing and mailing of the ballots. On Saturday, May 30, NTS notified the school district that envelopes had been delivered and that they anticipate M-W ballots will be mailed on Monday, June 1. The legal deadline to mail ballots is June 3, so we are hopeful that the district will meet this deadline. School districts throughout the state have been having similar issues due to supply shortages.

We will continue to keep residents updated via our district website as soon as we receive confirmation that ballots have been mailed. We will also be making arrangements to allow for physical drop-off of ballots at various locations throughout the district prior to the statewide deadline at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 9. Additional information on that process will be forthcoming.

Residents should have received, or will receive shortly, the budget newsletter, which outlines details of the proposed budget. Please email budget-related questions to [email protected] and district leaders will answer them during the Crusader Chat that will air live on the district YouTube channel from 6 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 4.

For more information about voting by absentee ballot, please visit the Absentee Ballot Q&A page.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Board of Education adopts proposed budget for 2020-2021 school year

On Tuesday, May 19, the members of the Monroe-Woodbury Board of Education adopted a $183,999,908 proposed budget for the 2020-2021 school year. The proposed budget carries a 1.51 percent tax levy increase, which is below Monroe-Woodbury’s allowable tax “cap” of 2.07 percent and maintains instructional student programs for the 2020- 2021 school year. In light of these unprecedented times and extraordinary challenges, the district’s primary focus continues to be on providing a high quality education for all students, while being fiscally responsible to taxpayers.

District residents will be asked to vote on a proposed budget of $183,999,908 for the 2020-2021 school year. The proposed budget includes a spending increase of 1.50 percent, or $2,723,599, compared to the 2019-2020 budget. The tax levy would increase by 1.51 percent from a budgeted $122,878,000 in 2019-2020 to a proposed $124,735,000 for 2020-2021, which is below the maximum allowable limit of 2.07 percent.

This year’s school budget vote and Board of Education election will take place on Tuesday, June 9, 2020, exclusively by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 public health crisis (as directed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo via an executive order issued Friday, May 1). Absentee ballots with self addressed, postage paid envelopes will be mailed by the district to all qualified voters. There is no in-person voting this year..

In addition to the proposed budget, residents will be asked to approve the purchase of five 72-passenger school buses, one 72-passenger school bus with undercarriage storage, two 29-passenger school bus vans, and one 20-passenger wheelchair accessible school bus van as part of the district’s replacement plan. The total cost is not to exceed $1,009,900 and state aid would cover approximately 60 percent of the expense. The district would be reimbursed over a five-year period.

District residents will also elect three members to the Board of Education for three-year terms to fill the seats of Board members Donald Beeler, Daniel A. Ezratty and Jonathan Huberth, whose terms expire at the end of the school year. The candidates who receive the most votes will be appointed to these positions. Their terms will commence on July 1, 2020 and will expire on June 30, 2023.

The candidates are (listed in alphabetical order):

Donald Beeler
Michael J. Ciriello
Daniel A. Ezratty
Jonathan Huberth

More information about the proposed budget will be mailed to district residents and posted to the district website.

2020 Annual Budget Vote/Election to be held June 9 by absentee ballot

In an executive order issued on Friday, May 1, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that this year’s school budget vote and board of education election will take place on June 9, exclusively by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The executive order establishes a timeline of actions that schools must undertake leading up to this date, including sending an absentee ballot with a prepaid return envelope to all qualified voters. Qualified voters are defined as U.S citizens, at least 18 years old by June 9, 2020, and they must be a district resident for at least 30 days prior to the vote. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, there will be no personal voter registration held at school district offices prior to the June 9, 2020 vote.

If you are not registered, you can register with the County Board of Elections by mail or remotely through the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles website at: https://dmv.ny.gov/more-info/electronic-voter-registration-application. If individuals are currently registered to vote with the district, they will automatically receive an absentee ballot and do not need to register.

To find out if you are registered to vote, use this link:
https://vip.ntsteamed.com/Search/VoterSearch

Following budget adoption, the district will make the proposed budget available to the public, hold a budget hearing (which will take place remotely), and mail a budget notice to all residents after the budget hearing. This procedure is no different than other years except for the hearing being held remotely.

Board of Education Election

The order also waived the minimum signature threshold for board of education candidates and states that candidates must meet all of the other requirements to run for the board. These include being qualified voters, must read and write, and having lived in the district continuously for one year prior to the election.

Prospective candidates must complete a M-W JUNE 2020 Board Petition and make an appointment with District Clerk Donna Vitucci, [email protected]. This petition must be received by the District Clerk (via fax, mail, or email) not later than Monday, May 11, 2020, by 5:00 p.m.

Revised 2020 Budget Calendar

(approved by Board of Education at May 6, 2020 meeting)

April 1

Board Budget Presentation – Instructional Instructional Programs and Special Education and Educational Support Services

May 11

Nominating petitions due to district clerk

May 18

Board of Education Presentation – Personnel and Benefits and Superintendent’s Recommendation

May 19

Board of Education Decision/Adoption

May 27

Public Budget Hearing

June 9

School District Budget Vote by absentee ballot

        2019-2020 budget overview

        2019-20 budget: $181,276,309

        Spending increase: $4,683,172 or 2.65%

        Tax Levy Increase: 2.57%*
             *The tax levy increase is just below the district’s legal limit as defined by New York’s tax levy cap legislation.

        For additional information, the 2019-2020 Budget Statement contains details of the proposed budget.

        Voter eligibility

        You are eligible to vote if you are a United States citizen, 18 years or older, and a resident of the Monroe-Woodbury Central School District for at least 30 days prior to the annual vote date.

        If you are registered to vote in general elections, you are automatically eligible to vote in school elections. If you are not registered, you can obtain a registration form in the office of the district clerk, at any school building or  visit the NYS Register to Vote page for more information.

        Special Voter Registration

        Special voter registration will be held at the Education Center at 278 Route 32, Central Valley. Dates will be announced for 2020.

        Absentee ballots

          Absentee ballots are available to registered residents who are unable to vote in person for reasons of illness or disability or who will be out of town on the date of the vote. Applications for absentee ballots are available from the District Clerk by calling (845)460-6200 ext. 6203 or by downloading the Application for Absentee Ballot.

          Building a school budget for the future

          Developing the annual budget is a year-round process. On the third Tuesday of each May, that process culminates when residents go to the polls to vote on a school budget proposal for the following year and to elect Board of Education members.

          Read more about creating a school budget.

          Budget fact sheets (in PDF format)

          Three Tax Levy Numbers
          Tax Levy “Cap” formula
          School mandates and mandate relief in New York State
          Today’s contingent budgets