Poland 2020-2021 school budget approved via absentee ballots
POLAND – Poland Central School District residents voted 227-118 to approve the district’s proposed $16.05 million budget for the 2020-2021 school year.
Voting was conducted exclusively via absentee ballots in this year’s delayed budget vote, and the ballots were counted and opened after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 16, as directed by executive orders from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
“We want to thank everyone for mailing in and dropping off their ballots for this unprecedented school budget vote and for showing strong support for the budget,” Poland Superintendent Laura Dutton said. “Among all the challenges of this school year, we have discovered with certainty that whether we are all in school or separated at our homes, the Poland school community is always together.”
The 2020-21 budget is an 8.97 percent increase over the current school year’s spending plan. The budget includes a 2.99 percent tax levy increase, which is well below the 11.6 percent calculated tax levy limit for the district. For the owner of a home fully valued at $100,000 who receives the Basic STAR exemption, the proposed tax levy increase will have a tax impact of $27.30 per year.
One Board of Education seat was also up for election along with the school budget vote. Board President Robert Batson ran for re-election and was the only candidate to file a petition to run for the seat. Batson received 271 votes and was elected to a five-year term from July 1, 2020, through June 30, 2025.
Write-in candidates receiving votes were Kyle Delano with eight, Karen Mowers with three, Mark Domser with two, Jennifer Blanchard with two, Tristan Abend with one, Dana Johnson with one, George Jones with one, Michael Kermizian with one, Carolyn Mowers with one, Jay T. Muller with one, Ronald Pomichter with one and Kevin Potempa with one.