School District Budget Votes: A Breakdown Passes in All Districts

May 19th marked county-wide  school budget and bond voting, as well as Board of Education Elections. Rocklanders showed up and showed out for the vote, passing every school district budget and ensuring continued top-notch education for our young scholars. 

What follows are the results of the voting, as well as a breakdown of their budgets and approximate number of students served. This information was sourced from official school websites and Facebook posts made by the institutions accounts. 

Suffern Central School District

Approx. 4,000 students

The 2026-2027 Suffern Central School District budget of $176,358,814 has passed. 

Yes – 1600   No – 780

Incumbents Tom Donnelly and Paul Shapiro were reelected to the Suffern Central Board of Education for three-year terms, serving July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029.

Pearl River School District 

Approx. 2,000 students

The 2026-2027 Pearl River School District Proposition 1: 2026-2027 School Budget of  $91,695,967 has passed.

Yes – 1025   No – 277

Proposition 2: Capital Improvements Bond Vote of $61.4 million – Passed

The Capital Improvements Bond will tackle a number of renovations and infrastructure updates, taking place from Summer of 2027 to Fall of 2029.

Yes – 973   No – 335

The one empty seat for the BOE with a term running July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029 will be filled by Incumbent Dr. Kathleen Ann Kelley.

North Rockland Central School District

Approx. 8,000 students

The 2026-2027 North Rockland CSD budget of $322,471,272 has been passed with 76% of the vote. This marks a 0.66% tax levy increase.

Yes – 1096   No – 340

Deborah Gatti (incumbent), James Kraus (incumbent) and Peggy Zugibe (incumbent) were elected to serve on the BOE with terms effective from July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029.

East Ramapo Central School District

Approx. 8,500 students in public schools

The 2026-2027 East Ramapo School budget of $367,649,590 has passed.

The following are the unofficial results of the Annual Budget Vote and Election for the East Ramapo Central School District:

2026-27 Budget Total Votes (which includes in-person votes and absentee votes): 

Votes Cast – 1,405

Yes – 940   No – 443

Votes from Ward 4 are, at time of publication, pending due to technical difficulties. According to the district, there are not enough votes to change the results of the vote for the budget or the trustees. Ward 4 are pending due to technical difficulties. 

Sherry McGill was elected as a Trustee in Ward 3 with 225 votes.

Simon Koth was elected as a Trustee in Ward 5 with 19 votes.

Moshe Samuel Feder was elected as a Trustee in Ward 8 with 92 votes. 

Terms are effective July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029.

Clarkstown Central School District 

Approx. 8,000 students

The 2026-2027 Clarkstown Central School District Proposed Budget of $271,507,575 has passed with 75.32% of the vote.

Yes – 2908   No – 953

The budget reflects a 2.31% budget-to-budget increase and a 2.55% tax levy increase.

Michelle Bondar and Brooke Stone were elected to the BOE to serve terms effective July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029

Nanuet Union Free School District 

Approx. 2,200 students

The 2026–2027 NUFSD budget of  $98,271,788 has passed with 83% of the vote. The approved budget reflects a 4.69% budget-to-budget increase and a 2.84% tax levy increase*, keeping the adjustment within the state cap.

Yes – 582   No – 121

Raymondo E. Pappalardi, Lynn Fahmi and Anne Byrne were re-elected to the BOE to serve terms effective July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029

*While the total levy change is 8.42%, the vast majority of that increase does not fall on local taxpayers. The difference between the total 8.42% increase and the 2.84% borne by taxpayers is tied to the expiration of a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement after the property changed hands from Pfizer to IRG and returned to the tax rolls.

Nyack Public Schools 

Approx. 2,800 students

The 2026-2027 Nyack Public Schools budget  of  $116,634,812 has passed with approximately 82% of the vote.

Yes – 1497   No – Not disclosed at time of print

Larry Jackson, Stacey McDonald and Benny Vasquez will serve three-year BOE terms commencing on July 1, 2026 and expiring on June 30, 2029.

Jessica Goodman will serve a BOE term commencing May 19, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2027.

South Orangetown Central School District 

Approx. 2,800 students

The 2026-2027 South Orangetown Central School District 2026-27 school budget of $116,688,270 has passed with 79% of the vote. The budget total reflects a budget-to-budget increase of 1.21% and remains within the state-mandated cap with a 1.85% tax levy increase. 

Proposition 2: Using existing capital reserve funds to construct multipurpose athletic field at TZHS – Passed 

Proposition 3: An approval to set aside funds for a “repair reserve”, or money which the district sets aside for emergency or large repair projects – Passed

BOE Election Results to fill three open seats are as follows:

Katie Gravino was re-elected and Leigh Ann Porette was elected to the Board of Education to serve terms effective July 1st, 2026 – June 30th, 2029

We at the RCT thank all of the new and returning Board of Education members who serve our students and our community.