Election workers total up votes following the Ticonderoga Central School budget revote.
TICONDEROGA | By a vote of 535-310, Ticonderoga voters approved a school budget for the coming year, after rejecting an earlier spending plan that exceeded the state-suggested tax cap.
The tax cap can only be broken by a 60 percent vote of the public, and last month’s vote didn’t come close, as a large number of voters showed up to register their objection. Turnout for the new budget Tuesday was far less than it was in June.
After the first budget, which would have raised the tax levy by nearly 10 percent, was voted down, the board held a public meeting, during which school supporters expressed their fears that severe cuts to academics and sports programs would be forthcoming. The board was able to avoid those cuts, largely through early retirement incentives and a larger than expected end-of-year surplus.
“It’s been a very tumultuous time,” Superintendent John McDonald Jr. said after announcing the results of the vote. “Certainly we listened to the public after the first vote.”
Had the budget not passed, the board would have been forced into a contingency budget that would have kept the tax levy at current levels and forced the board to cut nearly another $500,000. The board was relieved that further cuts would not be necessary.
“We really appreciate the community coming out and supporting the schools and helping us do what is best for the kids,” McDonald said.
The budget was knocked out of balance largely due to health-care costs, which spiked nearly 40 percent over an 18-month period. By breaking the tax cap in its initial budget, the board had hoped to put the system on more stable ground in coming years. Because of the increase in the year-end fund balance and the early retirements, McDonald said the board is hopeful that next year’s budget will be manageable.
The board will also continue to press for changes to the state funding formula, which they believe penalizes rural Adirondack communities.
