Proposed $65 million budget would maintain, grow programs; what to know before vote

The Red Hook Central School District is proposing a $65 million budget for the 2025-26 school year that would maintain and grow existing programs without exceeding the tax cap.

The annual district budget vote and school board election will be held May 20. In addition to the budget, residents will be asked to choose two candidates to fill vacant seats on the Board of Education and decide on four propositions, including a proposal to acquire four electric school buses and a $6.09 million capital improvement project.

Red Hook officials are inviting all community members to learn more about the budget and the programs offered throughout the district at its Community Showcase Budget Expo on May 8 at Red Hook High School. The expo will run from 5:30-7 p.m. and will be followed by the board’s public budget hearing in the school’s Performing Arts Center.

The proposed $64,998,156 2025-26 spending plan was approved by the Board of Education at its April 10 meeting. It represents a 3.43% increase over this year’s approved budget and a tax levy increase of 3.98%.

“Since the first day of the school year, we’ve discussed the need to be future-focused in how we adapt to meet the changing needs of students in high school and beyond graduation,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Janet Warden said. “We’re pleased to propose a budget that would allow our educational programs and initiatives to continue to grow to meet those needs.”

This year, residents benefitted from a larger than expected tax base growth factor, an element in calculating a tax cap that generally increases with new property development within a school district, which resulted in an increase of less than 1% to the tax bills for many district homeowners. The district again expects the tax growth factor to functionally reduce the amount taxes increase in 2025-26 to some extent.

The proposals come as district officials on April 10 announced the 2022 capital project approved by voters is expected to be completed at least $4 million under its original $22 million budget, reducing the impact on taxpayers.

Here’s a look at what else is on the ballot:

School board seats

Voters on May 20 will elect two people to fill seats on the Board of Education, with terms served by Kelly Borrelle and Charles Kachigian expiring June 30.

The two elected will serve three-year terms beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2028. The candidates include:

• Kelly Borrelle
• Patrick Boyd
• Charles Kachigian
• Robert Tynes

Prop 2: Electric school buses

Proposition 2 on the ballot asked residents if they will approve the purchase of four electric school buses. While the proposition specifies the buses cannot cost more than $300,000 individually or $1.2 million cumulatively, officials have assured residents each bus will be acquired at little-to-no cost thanks to grants and state aid reimbursement programs.

Red Hook is working toward meeting New York State’s zero-emission vehicle mandates. The district has traditionally proposed voters approve the purchase of two to three buses per year, following a roughly 12-year cycle for replacing the entire district fleet. By purchasing four this year, the district would capitalize on aid programs intended to assist schools’ transition from combustion to non-combustion vehicles and reach clean energy goals.

Officials from the State Education Department State Aid Office informed the district it would be eligible for reimbursement on roughly 50% of the electric vehicles’ full cost. The district also remains eligible for a New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, or NYSERDA, grant for roughly $220,000 per bus for up to six buses.

Between the two programs, a bus that may cost roughly $460,000 can be obtained for around $10,000. The exact percentage of reimbursement and cost of the bus is expected to fluctuate, making it impossible to give an exact estimate of how cheap the final expense will be. The district will also have to put forward the cost of the buses before being reimbursed by the state.

Read more about the bus proposition, the state aid program and the state vehicle mandates at this link.

Prop 3: Capital improvement project

Proposition 3 on the ballot is a capital improvement project featuring broad reconstruction of the main athletic field at its high and middle schools utilizing a grass surface. The proposal also includes two interior projects: renovations for some of the Red Hook High School bathrooms and the installation of a kiln room at Linden Avenue Middle School.

Though voters will be asked if they will approve spending $6.085 million on the proposal, taxpayers would be responsible for less than $2.2 million of the cost after state aid.

The district has sought to fix issues of safety and accessibility at its main field for several years. The field is overly compact, uneven and prone to flooding, the product of severe overuse. In March officials decided to close the field until repairs could be made.

Three times since 2022, the board has unsuccessfully put forth propositions to voters in which the field would be renovated with an artificial turf surface. Environmental concerns tied to the materials used to create the field were a common reason voters cited for why they did not support the plans.

The repairs included in this new proposal encompass the installation of a new grass surface and a drainage system. Field lighting would also be installed, allowing for competitions and community events after dark. The track surrounding the field, which was last resurfaced in 2010, will be replaced and the perimeter chain-link fencing would be repaired.

The field was originally built in 1999. Most of the field, though not the grass surrounding the football field surface, was resodded in 2017.

“That was a good fix for several years, until you kind of get back to where you are,” Athletic Director Tom Cassata said. “It’s not for a lack of maintaining it. Our guys maintain it the best we can. We seed it, we fertilize it, we try to address the concerns as we can.”

If Proposition 3 is approved, the average homeowner with a property value of $400,000 can expect to pay an average of $20 per year over 15 years.

Read more about the proposal and how the renovated field would be used here, and more on why the field was closed in March here.

Props 4 and 5: Library budgets

The final two propositions on the ballot ask voters if they will increase budgets for local libraries and are not tied to the school district’s operations or budget.

In Proposition 4, the Red Hook Library asks that its annual appropriation be increased by $10,000 to a total of $234,400. In Proposition 5, the Tivoli Free Library asks that its annual appropriation be increased by $2,701 to a total of $104,487.

How to vote

Polls will be open from noon to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20 at the Mill Road Elementary School’s grades 3-5 cafeteria, located at 9 Mill Road in Red Hook. Early mail, absentee and military voting is also available. Visit the district’s voting information page to learn more.