The Pearl River School District announced Tuesday night that the voters overwhelmingly passed its 2013-14 Pearl River School District Budget.
Of the 1,377 votes cast, 1,070 were in favor and 307 were cast against the proposed budget. That is 77.7 percent approval.
"We had a 77.70 percent plurality. That says a lot about the district and a lot about your efforts and the confidence the community has in us," Pearl River Superintendent Dr. John Morgano said.
The Board of Education approved a resolution at Tuesday's meeting rescinding the elimination of eight of the 17.7 positions that were initially cut as part of the 2013-14 budget process. The move had been announced previously, but could not be done until the budget passed.
The positions reinstated are:
- 0.5 full time speech teaching position
- 0.6 full time math teaching position
- 2.4 full time elementary teaching positions
- 3.0 full time teaching assistant positions
"I want to thank the people who voted for us," Clohessy said. "This is not about us. It is about the children. I'm very happy the budget passed."
The 2013-14 budget calls for a 1.68 tax increase for homeowners, 6.03 percent for businesses in Pearl River. With the exceptions built into state law, the 3.5 percent tax levy increase is within the mandated cap.
The percentage of the vote in favor of the 2013-14 budget was higher than the 2012-13 budget, which passed with 73.25 percent.
This year's turnout was significantly lower, down to 1,377 total votes from 2,041 last May. One major factor was the lack of competition for the two open seats on the board of education. Also, the 2012-13 ballot included a vote on bus limits in the district, an issue that drew a lot of attention.
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