GHENT—Voters around the county have overwhelmingly approved all six public school district annual budgets and ballot propositions. Incumbent board members also fared well.
The margin of victory in the New Lebanon School District was so large for the budget and a bus purchase proposition that, in a brief website letter to the community, schools Superintendent Andrew Kourt referred to the victories as “80%” and “70%” respectively.
The budget for Ichabod Crane (ICC), which is still in the midst of a major upgrade of school buildings at the Valatie campus, received strong support, winning approval with 1,155 votes compared to 597 voting no. A ballot proposition to purchase four school buses for a total of $443,926 was green-lighted by Ichabod voters with a margin almost as large as the budget vote tally.
Each of the six districts in the county kept its tax levy increases at or below the so-called “cap” required by the state.
The ICC board candidate with the highest number of votes—935—went to incumbent board member and Board of Education President Matthew Nelson. Also reelected was Elizabeth Phillips (899). Meghan Lafferty-Brown (698) was elected to an open seat. The story in Hudson was the election of write-in candidate Calvin Lewis, who will fill the fifth open seat on board, with 251 votes.
More results are listed below.
School district elections in Columbia County 2022
CHATHAM
Proposed budget $33,618,101
Yes 338
No 153
School board ( 4 seats)
Beth Hover 322 (3 yr. term)
Fred Hutchinson 333 (3 yr. term)
Marianne Pierro 288 (1 yr. term)
Murial Faxon 366 (3 yr. term)
Proposition #2
$5 million Capital Reserve Fund
Yes 338
No 153
GERMANTOWN
Proposed budget $16,904,170
Yes 272
No 108
School board ( 2 seats)
Andrea Foley 210
Lester Olsson 271
Lynn Polidoro 203
HUDSON
Proposed budget $54,125,024
Yes 432
No 267
School board (5 seats)
Willette Jones 413
Lakia Walker 409
Kjirsten Gustavson 384
Mark DePace 404
Calvin Lewis (write-in) 251
ICHABOD CRANE
Proposed budget $46,693,075
Yes 1,155
No 597
School board ( 3 seats)
Bill Schneider 611
Pat Schuler 564
Matthew Nelson 935
Jim Antalek 377
Meghan Lafferty-Brown 698
Elizabeth Phillips 899
Thomas Driscoll 581
Proposition #2:
Purchase of 4 buses for $443,926
Yes 1,182
No 560
Proposition #3
Student Board member (non-voting)
Yes 1,416
No 330
NEW LEBANON
Proposed budget $12,924,465
Yes 208
No 68
School board (3 seats)
John Kalisz 199
Robert Long 212
Charleen Kane 198
Proposition #2
Purchase 2 new school buses for $250,974
Yes 221
No 53
TACONIC HILLS
Proposed budget $39,684,157
Yes 396
No 202
School board (4 seats)
Ronald Morales 269
Brenda Halsted 227
Kevin Maisenbacher 302 (5-yr. term)
Diane Burfeind 281 (1-yr. term)
Alicia O’Rourke 288 (2-yr. term)
Molly Delaney 466 (5-yr. Term)
(5 write-in votes)
Proposition #3
Purchase 2 school buses for maximum of $393,500
Yes 445
No 152
Proposition #4
Capital Improvement: Building and Site-max estimated cost of $691,112 from fund Balance
Yes 411
No 188
