School Budget Vote Today

(May 20, 2014) Today's the day ... school budgets throughout the state will be put to the test and voting is taking place in Scarsdale and Edgemont. In Scarsdale, the vote takes place in the gym at the Scarsdale Middle School from 7 am to 9 pm.

In Edgemont, the vote is from 6 am to 9 pm in the gymnasium at Edgemont High School.

Scarsdale's proposed budget of $148,200,685 represents a 3.76% increase for voters in Scarsdale and a bump of 1.42% for those in the Mamaroneck strip. The budget funds five new teaching positions in the elementary school to maintain class sizes at 22 students in grades K-2 and 24 students in grades 4 and 5. At Scarsdale High School, three new teaching positions will be added in science, social studies and math to accommodate increased enrollment. The budget funds the construction of two additional science labs at SHS and wireless internet access for the elementary schools.

Two school board members are also on the ballot. Chris Morin and Scott Silberfein were nominated by the School Board Nominating Committee to fill the seats vacated by Jonathan Lewis and Sunil Subbakrishna who chose not to run for second three-year terms.

The $53 million Edgemont school budget will mean a 2.42% increase for taxpayers, and represents a $186,000 decrease over the 2013-14 school budget as three professional positions will be eliminated. Anish Nanavaty is running for re-election for a second three-year term on the Edgemont School Board and Jonathan Faust is running for his first term on the board.

Both the Scarsdale and Edgemont proposed budgets are below the adjusted state tax cap.