Chenango Passes All School Budgets
Published: May 18th, 2011

Chenango County voters passed school board budgets in every district Tuesday. Here are the results of the budget and school board candidate votes.

Afton

Afton’s proposed budget for the 2011-12 academic year of $14,724,301, was approved by 52 votes, with 177 residents voting for the proposal and 125 against. Voter turnout was down in the district, with 302 residents casting a ballot as opposed to 401 last year.

A proposition to purchase one 22-passenger school bus for an amount not to exceed $58,525 and one minivan for an amount not to exceed $25,000 was also approved by voters, with 184 voting for and 119 against.

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Duane Phillips received 246 votes to secure the vacant 5-year term position on the district’s board of education. Newcomer Ted King received 210 votes, securing the second vacancy, for a 2-year term.

Bainbridge-Guilford

Bainbridge-Guilford’s proposed $16,756,946 budget was approved with 361 of the 520 residents who turned out to the polls casting their ballot for the spending plan. 159 voted against the budget proposal. Voter turnout fell short of last year by 29.

Voters also decided 339 for and 178 against the proposition to purchase a two vehicles at a cost not to exceed $94,000.

Incumbent Jeanne Shields received 376 votes to retain her seat on the district’s board of education. The other incumbent on the ballot, Harold Lockhart, received 237 votes, which was not enough to him to retain his seat. Instead, the second school board vacancy will be filled by newcomer Patrick McElligott, who received 323 votes.

Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton

Voters in the Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton School District passed a 1.75 percent increase in the tax levy for the next school year and adopted a $8,664,705 budget with 145 ballots cast in favor and 59 against.

The budget calls for a 2.29 percent reduction from last year’s $8,867,844, called for eliminating nine positions, including four and a half instruction positions and four and a half support staff.

There were four candidates seeking three open seats on the school’s board of education. All the current board members seeking reelection won back their seats with Gerald Theis receiving 173 votes, Zachary Proskine 148, Harold “Manny” Button 141 and challenger Nancy Bakhuizen receiving 92.

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Greene

Greene’s budget passed with 64 percent of voters in favor of the district’s proposed $23,960,520 spending plan. Voter turnout dropped from last year’s high of 656 to 413. 266 voted for the budget, 147 against.

Incumbents William Cline and Timothy Crumb received 343 and 367 votes respectively to retain their seats on the district’s board of education.

Norwich

Norwich voters approved the district’s $37,090,193 proposed budget 670 to 366 yesterday. A total of 1,036 cast their vote, as opposed to last year when 1,292 voters turned out to the polls.

For the two vacancies on the board of education, Tom Morrone received 699 votes and Joe McBride 682 to secure positions on the board. They defeated Priscilla Johnson, who received 390 votes, Bob Patterson with 199 and Erica Barrows with 135.

Residents also voted to approve the portion of Guernsey Memorial Library’s 2011-12 proposed budget to be raised by taxes, totaling $963,542. Barb Collins received 594 votes to retain her position on the library board of trustees. Two other positions on the library board – one for a 3-year and the other for a 1-year term – will be filled by Dave Jennings, who received seven write-in votes, and Jeanne Jensch, who received two.

Otselic Valley

The Otselic Valley Central School District’s proposed 2011-2012 budget of $8,905,121 was approved by a vote of 170 to 43 on Tuesday.

In addition, voters approved the establishment of a second Capital Reserve Fund to offset necessary costs for building repairs or capital improvements, with 164 voting for the measure and 48 against.

District residents also voted in favor of a proposal for the purchase of two new school vehicles, a Ford F-350 – with attached plow – for use at the Otselic Valley Elementary School and an SUV passenger vehicle for the transport of students to out-of-district placements, by a vote of 149 to 62.

Newcomer Marcia Marshall, as the only candidate on the ballot, received 158 votes and will fill one board of education vacancy. A total of 226 residents cast their vote on the proposed 2011-2012 budget.

Oxford

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Oxford residents approved the district’s 2011-12 proposed budget, totaling $16,935,666, with 287 voting for and 149 against the proposal.

Residents also approved two propositions. The first, a proposition to increase appropriations to the Oxford Memorial Library by $1,219 per year to a total $129,521, was passed 314 to 120. The second proposition, authorizing the purchase of two 72-passenger buses and one 22-passenger bus for an amount not to exceed $280,000, was passed 240 to 193.

Newcomer Julie Gates received 307 votes, securing herself one of two open seats on the district’s board of education. Gene Rood received 237 votes, narrowly beating out fellow incumbent Mary Branham, who received 225, for the second board vacancy.

Fred Lanfear was re-elected to the Library Board of Trustees, receiving 360 votes.

According to District Clerk Michele Rice, a total of 432 voters visited the polls and 18 absentee ballots were counted, compared to 674 last May.

Sherburne-Earlville

On Tuesday, voters approved S-E’s proposed $29.5 million budget and also gave the thumbs up to propositions supporting the public libraries in each village.

The tally of votes was 368 for the proposed spending plan versus 135 against. Fifty-four more district residents came to the polls compared to last year.

Incumbent S-E school board member Susan Osborne of Sherburne was reinstated with 319 votes. The other two open board seats were filled by Michael Khoury of Smyrna, with 317 votes, and Michael Ulrich of Sherburne, who had 218 votes.

Defeated candidates for school board were Brian Lane of Earlville, 170 votes; David Jemzura of Sherburne, 160 votes; and Chad Bohnert of Earlville, 119 votes.

The budget is an increase of 1.66 percent over the 2010/2011 school year and represents an average tax levy increase of 1.90 percent. Thirteen jobs were eliminated, including 10 teachers, two support staff and one middle school administrator.

Tax collections for the Earlville Free Library ($3,000) was approved by a vote of 318 to 130 and for the Sherburne Public Library ($5,000) with a vote of 342 to 119.

Unadilla Valley

Voters in the Unadilla Valley School District passed a $19,419,244 budget with 253 ballots cast in favor and 75 against.

The budget calls for no increase in the local tax levy and is 1 percent lower than last year’s. It calls for the elimination of 11 positions including: Two part-time elementary teachers, two licensed teacher assistants, a business teacher, who also teaches drivers’ education, a social studies teacher, four special education teacher aides and a custodian.

A proposition on the UV ballot to purchase a 66-passenger bus and 72-passenger bus for a combined amount not to exceed $223,000 passed with 199 in favor and 126 against.

There were five candidates, three open seats and one, two-year, vacancy to fill on the board. Current board members Victoria L. Gregory with 273 votes and John D. Elliot with 252 votes were again elected to their three-year term seats. Sandra M. Cooper, who was appointed last year to temporary fill former board member Stan Foulds’ vacancy, won the seat of former Board President Bill Lyons with 258 votes. Lyons decided not to ran this year after serving on the board since 1996. Contender Kristin L. Rumovicz was elected to fill Foulds’ vacancy, which has two years left on the term. Unsuccessful challenger Clifton J. Frink received 133 votes.



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