School Election Results
Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow voters split on school budget. Pocantico Hills budget fails.
Photos
The results are in for both the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns and Pocantico Hills School District.
For the Union Free School District of the Tarrytowns, voters in Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown were split on a $63,440,147 budget. The budget calls for a .10 percent tax increase in Tarrytown (Town of Greenburgh) and a 6.62 percent increase in Sleepy Hollow (Town of Mt. Pleasant). Sleepy Hollow voters rejected the budget while overwhelming support from Tarrytown assured its passage.
Result for TUFSD budget
District 1 (Sleepy Hollow)
Yes - 298
No - 332
District 2 (Tarrytown)
Yes - 495
No - 239
Total
Yes - 793
No - 571
Voters also approved a measure to increase the busing distance for third grade students from 3/10 of a mile to a half mile. The measure would save the school district about $100,000 on busing costs, and would ensure transportation efficiencies are realized with school consolidation next year.
Busing Measure
District 1 (Sleepy Hollow)
Yes - 420
No - 170
District 2 (Tarrytown)
Yes - 514
No - 187
Total
Yes - 934
No - 357
Two trustees also ran unopposed for another three-year term. Current board vice president Paul Rode and trustee Vincent Nadile had some nice supporting numbers at the polls.
Paul Rode
District 1 (Sleepy Hollow)
Yes - 376
District 2 (Tarrytown)
Yes - 574
Total
Yes - 880
Vincent Nadile
District 1 (Sleepy Hollow)
Yes - 363
District 2 (Tarrytown)
Yes - 488
Total
Yes - 851
The Pocantico Hill School District budget was shot down by voters with a 53 percent to 47 percent loss. In an interesting twist, the budget was one of the only in Westchester county that called for an increase in spending, with a decrease tax rates due to new commercial property that has fed into the district's coffers.
Pocantico Budget
Yes - 192
No - 215
Voters did approve the purchase of new buses for the district. The first, a 20-passenger school bus, is said not to exceed $38,000, while the second, a 65-passenger school bus, will not cost more than $107,000—a $145,000 total.
Bus Proposition
Yes - 244
No - 157
Three candidates were running for school board. Theodore M. Sabety of Pleasantville, Frederic P. Rickles of Sleepy Hollow and Emily Segal of Valhalla. Segal and Rickles will be the new to the board starting July 1.
Votes for School Board Trustees
Segal - 239
Rickles - 291
Sabety - 221
We'll have a full election story up by Wednesday afternoon with video from the polls.
carl aridas
10:11 am on Wednesday, May 19, 2010
So running unopposed, and w over 1,300 votes cast, over 500 people decided not vote for either candidate in the Tarrytowns. Hardly what I would call "nice supporting numbers".
carl aridas
10:16 am on Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Why were people so upset at the School Board and the budget? Could it be:
a) despite closing Tappan Hill, 2 of the 3 custodian positions were moved to WI, a school that was already fully staffed and kept very clean by the existing staff?
b) despite losing a principal to retirement that a new AP position was created & filled for the 3rd grade in WI? Can't not have a 3rd grade AP like we did the most recent school year.
c) That the cost of the School Superintendent position went up this year?
d) That draconian threats against AP classes and half-day K were made, showing that the Board has no idea how to "do more w less".
Correst Answer - All of the above!
Sean Roach
7:11 pm on Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Carl, thanks for your comments.
I don't think you can look too deeply into why people did or didn't vote for the incumbent school board trustees. Some may not have bothered due to the lack of people running, others may have just wanted to vote for the budget issue or the bus issue. I noticed that about 70 people decided to only vote for the budget, and didn't bother with the busing issue.