WAPPINGERS SCHOOL DISTRICT-Voters in the Wappingers School District will go to the polls this coming Tuesday, May 19 to cast their ballot on the 2009-10 budget, one proposition, and candidates for the Board of Education.

Polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. at six of the district's elementary schools: Fishkill, Fishkill Plains, Gayhead, Myers, Sheafe, and Vassar. Sheafe Road is the new polling location for residents who previously voted at Wappingers Junior High School. The location was changed this year as a result of residents' complaints about a lack of handicapped accessibility at WJHS. Residents who are unsure where they should vote should contact District Clerk Susan Penney at 298-5000.

The proposed budget for the coming school year is $178,623,391, an increase of 2.08 percent, or $3.6 million, over the current year's budget of $174.9. The estimated increase in the tax levy, which is the portion of the budget paid by local taxes, is $3 million or 2.72 percent. This does not represent the amount of increase residents will see in their town's tax rate, which is calculated via a formula that uses assessments, equalizations rates, and the tax levy.

If the budget fails at the polls, the Board of Education has three options. It can put the same budget to a second vote, conduct a vote on a modified budget, or implement its contingency budget. The contingency budget would be $178.2 million, approximately $400,000 less than the regular budget. If the contingency budget is put in place, the tax levy would increase roughly $2.7 million.

The Board of Education has opted to implement a contingency budget twice in the past three years, in the 2006-07 school year and in the current year.

Although the budget was adopted by the board April 21, in keeping with state law, the Board of Education held a mandated budget hearing May 5 at Ketcham High School. Only one resident spoke, former trustee and current BOE candidate Ann Fadgen, who said she was concerned about the potential repercussions of some of the budget cuts board members made this year. Specifically, Fadgen referred to the elimination of the Bridge and Enrichment programs and the cutting of 1.5 social worker positions. She called the latter "devastating" and a decision that she believes will "prove itself to be short-sighted and less than wise."

Also on the May 19 ballot will be a $1.7 million proposition to purchase 22 vehicles: 16 72-passenger buses, four 20-passenger vans, and two four-dour sedans. The district would bond over a five-year period to pay for the buses, with the annual cost at about $362,000. State aid is expected to cover half of that cost annually.

Voters will also be asked to select three candidates for the Board of Education. Each of those elected will serve a three-year term. Candidates are Aziz Ahsan, Ann Fadgen, Lori Jiava, Anthony LoCicero, and Wendy McNamara. Information about the candidates and their platforms can be found elsewhere in this issue.

Additional information about the WCSD budget and bus proposition can be obtained on the district's websiste, www.wappingersschools.org.