Three Village residents vote down school budget once again

Three Village residents vote down school budget once again

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In the Three Village school district, the $222.6 million budget did not pass a second time with a larger turnout.

On June 14, a district official said 2,027 voted in favor of the budget, while 3,211 rejected it.

Back in May, the budget did not pass (yes – 2,286, no – 1,677) as 60% approval was needed to approve the budget that pierced the 1.37% cap with a proposed tax levy increase of 1.85%.

The second rejection of the budget means the district now goes to a contingency budget and there will be no increase to the tax levy.

In a statement, Three Village school district officials said,  “While disappointed in the defeat of the proposed budget, the district respects the voice of the community and the voter response received at the polls. In the coming days, the district will finalize a plan for our contingency budget that has the least impact on student programs and services.”

During an interview with The Village Times Herald in May, Jeff Carlson, deputy superintendent for business services, said if the budget failed it would mean a shortfall of about $3 million and that major construction or improvements to district property would not take place. He also said during the interview that it would not be disastrous and the district would “make it as painless as possible for the kids.” He also said the district would then use all of the federal money for the coming year. The district is receiving $1.85 million in federal aid, which is earmarked for COVID-related expenses.