Voters Approve School Budgets

Each of Putnam’s six school districts approved fiscal spending plans Tuesday despite reductions in staffing, slashes in state aid, uncertainty in Albany, and the prospect of increasing property taxes.

Brewster, Carmel, Mahopac, Putnam Valley, Haldane, and Garrison voters all said yes to budgets in the wake of difficult economic times.

In Brewster, an $82.6 million budget that is exactly the same as the current school spending package was approved, 1,443 to 1,122.

Board of Education President Dr. Stephen Jambor called greater Brewster a “community of people which takes education seriously and supports it even in the toughest of times. We are blessed to be surrounded by these wonderful people.”

Jambor also thanked the entire “Brewster school family” from the superintendent on down for agreeing to a zero percent increase for the 2010-11 school year: “Their charity and support set a tone that was remarkable throughout the entire region. Remember our employees have the same bills to pay that we have.”

Superintendent Dr. Jane Sandbank called residents of Brewster “amazing. We are so fortunate to be in a community where people come out to support the schools and our children. In Brewster we are truly blessed.”

In Carmel, a $105 million budget was approved by a tally of 1,942 to 1,462. Superintendent Dr. James Ryan thanked the residents of his district for “supporting education. There has been much hard work on the part of our Board of Education and community at large.”

Dr. Ryan called communication key to success: “There have been pockets of discontent but this year the parents stepped up to the plate and communicated throughout the district the importance of quality education. The voter response has been one of the highest in years.”

Board of Education President Richard Kreps called the result a “great showing for our school district. It demonstrates that people support their educational system. My colleagues and I on the Board of Education will continue to work hard to earn their trust each and every day of the year.”

In Mahopac, a $108 million budget was approved by a margin of 2,502 to 1,805. Voters also authorized the spending of $800,000 to purchase new school buses by a tally of 2,415 to 1,868.

Superintendent Thomas Manko praised residents of his district for coming out in record numbers: “Talk about democracy in action. People in Mahopac realize the value of quality education. The budget process was extremely difficult this year but our residents understand that this school did everything in its power to keep taxes in check while continuing to offer one of the finest educations found anywhere in New York State to our nearly 5,000 students.”

In Putnam Valley, residents approved a $44 million budget by a margin of 883 to 638.

Haldane residents approved a $21 million fiscal spending plan by a tally of 692-520 and in Garrison a $9 million budget was approved by a vote of 252-199.

Board of Education races were also decided on Tuesday. In Brewster incumbent Joseph Charbonneau was reelected as was newcomer Peter Pastore. Both men were running unopposed.

In Carmel, incumbent trustees Jennifer Dougherty and Greg Riley were returned to office but trustee Steven Port was defeated by newcomer Eric Mittelstadt. Also running was James Kirk.

In Mahopac, three incumbent trustees were all returned to office. Penny Swift, Patricia Greenwood-O’Keefe, and John Malara were victorious over challengers Peter McCauley and Rose Stern.

Putnam Valley voters had a choice of five candidates seeking two school board seats. Top vote getters were Jeanine Rufo and Joseph Ferraro, who bested Bruce Johnson, James Scolaro, and Ed Wallach.

In the Haldane District, Gillian Thorpe and Michael Junjulas were elected, while in Garrison, Anita Prentice and Charlotte Snow Rowe were elected to the board of education.