UPDATED: Proposed school budget fails; district to consider next steps

After the school district’s proposed budget failed to garner enough votes to pass on Tuesday, the district has now released a statement that they will be considering the next steps.

Late Tuesday evening, Luke McEvoy, spokesperson for the Owego Apalachin School District, reported that the proposed school budget was voted down by close to 120 votes; 479 approved of the proposed budget whereas 597 voted it down.

The 2019 – 2020 proposed school budget was set at $47,931,679. This budget, according to McEvoy, carried an increase of 2.63 percent, and a tax levy increase of 3.83 percent. 

In response to the defeat of the 2019-2020 Owego Apalachin School budget, which the school district, in a release, stated “… it proposed a tax increase within the allowable New York State Tax Cap of 3.83 percent on the levy,” the district is now stating that they will begin considering the next steps.

Those steps, as defined in the release, include a re-vote on the current budget, a re-vote on a revised budget, or going directly to a contingency budget. 

The district stated that a re-vote would take place on June 18. 

In the meantime, a Public Budget Workshop will take place on Tuesday, May 28, at 6 p.m. at the Owego Apalachin District Office; there will also be a Board of Education meeting on Thursday, May 30, at 7 p.m. at the same location. 

You can learn more about the budget at www.oacsd.org

In other school voting news, a proposition was approved by taxpayers on Tuesday for the purchase of five school buses; the vote carried with 626 voting yes, and 443 voting down the proposition. 

Two Board of Education Candidates were also elected for two seats – Gene Cvik, with 756 votes and Linda Gretz, with 849 votes. 

Voters approved the additional taxpayer funding for the Apalachin Public Library with 569 yes votes and 496 no votes; additional taxpayer funding was also approved for the Coburn Free Library with 605 yes votes and 450 votes against the additional funding. 

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