UPDATE: 11:50 p.m. Please note that there was an error in the tally formula and the initial reported results were incorrect. The election outcome remains the same, but this post has been updated with the corrected vote numbers.
On Tuesday, May 17, Monticello Central School District (MCSD) voters approved the district’s $94.5 million 2022-23 school budget, by a vote of 811 yes to 446 no votes.
The $94,460,575 budget has zero increase on the tax levy, and is an overall spending increase of 3.5%. The budget preserves all existing positions and programs, restores pre-pandemic extracurricular experiences and activities, adds and enhances staff professional development opportunities and addresses pandemic-related learning lost – at no impact to the tax levy.
“We sought to create a budget that balances our responsibility to provide each learner with empowering educational experiences with our responsibility to the taxpayer to exercise fiscal prudence,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Evans said. “I am grateful to our taxpayers for their support and partnership.”
In addition to approving the budget, voters also elected three members to the Board of Education.
Seven candidates sought election to three board seats. The candidates, in ballot order, were:
Seat 1:
Lori Orestano-James (incumbent) – 564 votes
Victoria LaRusso – 711 votes
Seat 2:
Stacey Sharoff (incumbent) – 622 votes
Ashley Rielly – 637 votes
Seat 3:
Mary Beth Bastone – 518 votes
Jennifer Holmes (incumbent) – 534 votes
Jimmy B. Crawley – 223 votes
The terms are three years, beginning July 1 and will be filled by Victoria LaRusso, Ashley Rielly and Jennifer Holmes.