GHENT–In all six public school districts in the county–Chatham, Germantown, Hudson, Ichabod Crane, New Lebanon and Taconic Hills–voters approved school budgets by wide margins Tuesday, May 16.
Ballot propositions also won approval in those districts, including a pair of projects in New Lebanon for upgrades and a gym addition totaling over $11 million.
With write-ins in Germantown and New Lebanon, all vacant seats of school boards have been filled.
Each of the proposed budgets on the ballot in the county’s public school districts complied with the state tax levy cap of a nominal 2%, although the exact percentage varies from year to year.
Chatham
Budget ($30,836,975)
* Yes 368
No 115
Board seats (3)
* Dawn-Marie V. Blasl 385 (3-yr.)
* Rachel Galvin 365 (3-yr.)
* Winnie Hoffman Legere 392 (3-yr.)
Prop. 1: Capital Reserve Fund 3 for account of up to $4.5M for construction and upkeep
* Yes 350
No 127
Prop. 2: Repair Reserve Fund. Set aside up to $100,000 for repairs
* Yes 382
No 97
Prop. 3: Student representative on school board
* Yes 415
No 63
Germantown
Budget ($14,790,612)
* Yes 206
No 66
Board seats (2)
* Tammi Kellenbenz 234 (4-year term)
* Write-in with most votes: George Sharpe Sr. 34 (1-year term. He will take office if he accepts)
Hudson
Budget ($46,566,172)
* Yes 346
No 155
Board seat (1)
* Carrie Otty 419
Prop.: Donation of corner of JLE site to City of Hudson for a sidewalk
Yes 426
No 73
Ichabod Crane
Budget ($39,189,544)
Yes 643
No 203
Board seats (4)
* Brendan Caluneo 420 (1-yr.)
* Dan Cohn 570 (3-yr.)
* Tammy Crawford 594 (3-yr.)
Craig Luckfield 387
* Susan Ramos 535 (3-yr.)
Prop.2: Purchase 6 school buses for $477,789.
Yes 628
No 218
New Lebanon
Budget ($12,409,824)
* Yes 313
No 95
Board seats (2)
* Richard Sime 290 (3-yr.)
* Write-in Michael Bienes 53 (3-yr.)
Prop.: $8,75,000 Renovation Project for “security, efficiency and outdated … facilities.”
* Yes 269
No 134
Prop.: $3.1-million addition to gym
* Yes 248
No 134
Taconic Hills
Budget ($37,450,541)
* Yes 354
No 86
Board seats (2)
Robert Macfarlane 116
Michelle Rosien 140
* Alicia O’Rourke 181 (5-yr.)
* Ronald Morales 243 (5-yr.)
Melissa Stickles 134
Prop. 3: Bus and vehicle purchase from Capital Reserve Fund
Yes 351
No 86
Prop 4: Amend Capital Reserve Fund not to exceed $5,000,000.
Yes 314
No 119