What's next for Elmsford schools, one of three districts in NY to lose two budget votes?

The tiny Elmsford school district will be part of an undesirable club in 2023-24: one of only three districts in New York forced to operate under a state-imposed contingency budget after losing two budget votes.

The district had to cut $876,899 from a budget plan voters rejected last month, with the board of education adopting a $41,749,424 contingency budget on Tuesday.

Elmsford was one of 11 districts, out of 675 across New York, that had their initial budget plans rejected by voters in May. Then it became one of three — the other two being Wainscott in Suffolk County and Waterloo in Seneca, south of Rochester — to lose a second time.

"This is unchartered territory for the time I've been in Elmsford," said Elmsford Teachers Association President Kevin Budzynski, who has been a teacher in the district 26 years. Budzynski said he didn't know why the community voted no to two budgets, but added he hoped it was a bump in the road and that things will normalize next year.

"Any time a budget goes down students are the ones who are the most hard hit," he said.

Under state rules, districts that lose two budget votes must adopt a contingency budget. It requires freezing the tax levy, the amount raised from property taxes, at the past year's amount, $34,480,814 in Elmsford's case.

A contingency budget also limits spending on capital projects and equipment purchases, with an exception for computers, said Linda Carlin, Elmsford's assistant superintendent of finance and operations.

"I just feel like it's a devastating blow to our students," said Elmsford parent Lydia Adegbola. She credited the district's teachers, saying they'll do great with what they have, but added, "they shouldn't have to."

Board members mum on defeats

Elmsford school board members did not want to answer questions about why the community rejected two budget plans. A proposition was also defeated along with each budget.

School board members David Hecht and Alfredo Lezama said questions should be directed to Superintendent Ronald Gonzalez. Suzanne Phillips said board members were advised not to talk to the media. Other board members did not respond to requests for comment.

Normally, board members in districts that lose one budget vote, let alone two, will discuss what went wrong and how they might better communicate with their community before future budget votes.

Incoming school board member John Hecht also declined to comment.

Gonzalez, in a brief statement after the board adopted the contingency budget, said that “Concessions on the district’s behalf had to be made, but we are certain we can work with the latest figures to provide our students and staff with the tools they need to be successful."

Of the district's 945 students in 2021-22, 38% were considered economically disadvantaged and 15% were considered English Language Learners, according to the state data.

Almost 16% of the 1,100 school-age children living in the district went to private schools in 2021-22, according to the state.

PTSA President Melanie Johnson and Vice President David Signor didn't respond to requests for comment about the budget.

'There's a misunderstanding' about budget, superintendent says

Capital projects Elmsford won't see next year include a paving project in the high school parking lot that would have added additional drainage, and another project that would have replaced all security cameras in the district. The district's small technology team has kept its security cameras going with repurposed parts, Gonzalez said last week.

In response to questions about expenses to be cut, Gonzalez said in an emailed statement Thursday the board was looking at extra curricular activities. "It is possible that not all of them will be offered again in the upcoming school year as another cost savings measure," he said.

The district is also working with the PTSA on potentially offsetting costs for field trips, he said.

In a statement to the community after the second vote failed, Gonzalez said he looked forward to healing divisions that had arisen this voting season. Asked what divisions he was referring to, Gonzalez said last week he meant divisions in the community over the budget.

"There's a misunderstanding in terms of what goes into creating a budget and how that budget ends up impacting students," said Gonzalez.

Rejected: Voters scrapped 3 school budgets in Rockland, Westchester. What happens now?

17 presentations, then forums

After 17 public presentations on the first budget proposal, Gonzalez said he felt comfortable with community understanding of the budget. But then three-fifths of voters voted against it. The $43.37 million budget plan would have increased the tax levy by 5.48%. Voters also rejected a proposition to increase the capital reserve fund from $5 million to $25 million.

"When that budget was voted down, we understood that, OK, there's some questions around the difference between capital projects and instructional monies," Gonzalez said last week.

He said he followed the first vote with community forums to address questions and ask community members what they wanted to prioritize.

The second budget incorporated that feedback, Gonzalez said, and reduced the tax levy increase to 2.58%, bringing the budget down to $42.6 million. Over 63% of the 500 voters rejected it. Over 60% of voters also rejected a proposition that would have tapped $1 million from capital reserves for paving and building improvements at various schools.

If the second budget "prioritized those projects in a way that, you know, I thought represented the voice of the community, then obviously we're missing something," Gonzalez said.

He said the district's costs were related to inflation — which has been the case in all school districts.

Julie Rogers, an Elmsford parent and past president of the PTSA, said residents often complain about Elmsford's test scores not being higher, but the community's voting down of the budget shows people don't want to invest in teachers and administrators.

"We're getting the bare bones and we're telling the children 'that's all you deserve. You deserve the bare minimum,' " she said.

Re-votes: What happened with East Ramapo, Elmsford, Blind Brook school budgets?

Contact Diana Dombrowski at ddombrowski@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @domdomdiana.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Elmsford NY schools adopt contingency budget after two failed votes