By Ashley M. Casey
Associate Editor
Residents of the Baldwinsville Central School District overwhelmingly approved the 2020-21 budget with a margin of 4,871 yes votes to 1,729 no votes.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, New York state schools held their annual elections via absentee ballots. Originally, ballots were due June 9 but Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued an executive order extending the deadline to June 16.
The New York State School Boards Association estimated June 18 that voters approved 98.7% of school budgets across the state.
“In the midst of a public health and economic crisis, voters in the state of New York showed how much they value public education by collectively and, in many cases overwhelmingly, supporting their local school district budgets,” NYSSBA Executive Director Robert Schneider said in a press release dated June 17. “We are grateful to the public for its strong show of support for education and the valiant efforts of school districts in providing educational services under extremely trying circumstances.”
Read on for more about Baldwinsville’s school vote results.
Incumbents return to BOE
Baldwinsville voters also selected three candidates for three-year terms on the BCSD Board of Education.
Returning to their seats are incumbents Jennifer Patruno (3,991 votes), Matthew Yager (3,214 votes) and Jeffrey Marier (3,159) votes.
Three challengers were not elected to the board and received the following vote totals:
• Burrill Wells: 2,832
• Edwin Curry: 2,213
• Michael Wells: 1,480
Also on the ballot
Voters also approved the annual bus purchase by a margin of 4,693 yes votes to 1,893 no votes. The bus proposition includes 11 student transport vehicles with a maximum total cost of $1,199,146.
Proposition III, the purchase of one Cat loader and one snow plow truck for a total of $341,000, also passed. This proposition received 4,863 yes votes and 1,701 no votes.
Also on the ballot was the 2020-21 budget for the Baldwinsville Public Library, which passed with 5,119 votes (1,341 no votes were cast). Mary Schmutz was elected to the BPL Board of Trustees with 5,478 votes.
