CHENANGO COUNTY - School districts in Chenango County held their budget and Board of Education (BOE) votes for the 2024-25 fiscal school year on Tuesday, May 20.

Voters across the county approved budgets and a variety of propositions, including capital improvements, transportation purchases, and public library funding. Board of Education elections also took place.

Afton
The Afton Central School budget passed with 156 votes in favor and 67 against.

Matthew Lashway (182 votes) was elected to a five-year term on the Board of Education, Ashley Sherman (176 votes) to a three-year term, and Kelly Graven-Briggs (155 votes) to a one-year term.

Bainbridge-Guilford
The Bainbridge-Guilford Central School budget passed with 180 votes in favor and 78 against. Voters approved Proposition 1 for facilities improvements, 186 to 70; Proposition 2, an amendment to the 2018 transportation resolution, passed 187 to 70; and Proposition 3 to purchase school buses passed 190 to 68.

Thomas Akshar (204 votes) was elected to a three-year term on the Board of Education.

Gilbertsville-Mount Upton
The Gilbertsville-Mount Upton Central School budget passed with 63 votes in favor and 22 against. Brenda Friedel (74 votes) and Amanda Larsen (2 write-in votes) were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education.

Greene
The Greene Central School District budget passed with 294 votes in favor and 68 against. Voters approved Proposition 2 to establish a $1,000,000 Transportation Capital Reserve Fund, 282 to 83. Proposition 3 to purchase two school buses at a maximum cost of $392,750 passed 292 to 74. Proposition 4 to levy $206,000 annually for the Moore Memorial Library was approved 305 to 61.

Renee Rideout (238 votes), Angela Fiato (237 votes), and Lindsay McCandless (209 votes) were elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education.

Norwich
The Norwich City School District budget passed with 313 votes in favor and 154 against. Voters approved the $3,700,000 bus lease proposition 339 to 126, and the $1,288,600 library levy 333 to 132. Julia Miller and Kisten Giglio were elected to the Board of Education. Agnes Eaton and Lorraine Chwazik were elected as library trustees.

Otselic Valley
The Otselic Valley Central School District budget passed with 114 votes in favor and 47 against. The public library tax levy was approved 100 to 52.

David Cruikshank (98 votes) and Michael Foor-Pessin (88 votes) were elected to the Board of Education. Terry Foor-Pessin was re-elected to the Library Board of Trustees.

Oxford
The Oxford Academy and Central School budget passed with 127 votes in favor and 46 against. A proposition to purchase student transport vehicles passed 121 to 52, and support for the public library was approved 138 to 34.

Matthew Leach (160 votes) was elected to the Board of Education. William Brower (157 votes) was elected to the Oxford Memorial Library Board.

Sherburne-Earlville
The Sherburne-Earlville Central School District budget passed with 139 votes in favor and 43 against. A proposition to balance board seats passed 159 to 23, and a proposition to support the Earlville Free Library was approved 136 to 46.

Unadilla Valley

Unadilla Valley Central School District voters approved the budget by a vote of 131 in favor and 31 against.

Linda Tuller (151 votes) and Samantha Kemnah (138 votes) were elected to the board of education.

The fiscal plan includes an overall 8.92 percent increase in expenditures ($2.3 million) from the current year. However, $1.4 million of that increase is due to a Bond Anticipation Note (BAN) being used to fund the ongoing capital project. This $1.4 million is being funded through state building project aid - not via the tax levy. When these funds are removed from the budget, the actual year-to-year increase in operating expenses would be 3.38 percent.

A proposition to lease three non-electric school buses was approved by a vote of 137 to 26.

A proposition to help fund the South New Berlin Library was also approved by a vote of 136 to 21.

A proposition on the ballot creating a Capital Reserve Fund with the ultimate amount of $10 million was approved by a vote of 132 to 28. The fund would be established using a variety of potential sources, including non-appropriated general fund balances from the current year.

“Under this budget, Unadilla Valley will maintain all current programming and staffing levels. We are planning for an additional Pre-K classroom beyond the two we currently have, which is a good sign for district enrollment,” Superintendent Brenton Taylor said. “There continue to be uncertainties with both the state financial landscape, as well as federal education funding. However, our board of education and leadership team has worked hard to develop a budget that takes these uncertainties into account, helps us to continue strengthening our programs, and accounts for the financial burdens our taxpayers face.”