On July 28, Monticello Central School District residents overwhelmingly approved the district’s proposed 2020-21 school budget by a vote of 730 “yes” to 425 “no.”
“Creating a school budget within the framework of New York State law is a complex process under the best of circumstances, let alone in the unprecedented landscape we’re currently in,” Superintendent of Schools Dr. Matthew Evans said. “Regardless of the circumstances, our team will always exhaust every resource and utilize every strategy to ensure we are providing our students with the tools they need to succeed, while remaining fair and balanced to our taxpayers. I thank the Board of Education, and Assistant Superintendent for Business, Lisa Failla, for their commitment to developing a budget that continues programs that benefit our students, staff and community, and I thank our residents for their support of it.”
The approved budget will maintain all current student programming, allows the district to continue its school bus and maintenance vehicle replacement schedule and will support additional expenses related to the reopening of schools in the fall under COVID-19 restrictions.
“Our mission is to create future-ready learners by providing empowering educational experiences, and this budget will help us to continue to do exactly that,” Board President Lori Orestano-James said. “On behalf of the Board of Education, I am so appreciative of all of our community members who took the time to learn more about the nuances of this budget and chose to support our students and our vision for the future. Together, we’ll continue to make Monticello a community to be proud of.”
*The results are unofficial pending verification of affidavit ballots. However, the number of affidavit ballots will not impact the final results. Official results are anticipated to be announced and approved during the Board of Education’s July 29 meeting.