MAHOPAC, N.Y. — The Mahopac Board of Education voted at a special meeting this evening (May 27) to resubmit its 2025–26 budget for a public vote.
This time, the $145,137,805 adopted budget—which originally carried a 1 percent tax levy increase when it was defeated on May 20—will require no tax increase. The reduction is due to $955,082 in additional state aid allocated in early May. Superintendent Christine Tona said the district learned about the funding on May 8, after the board had adopted the budget with the 1 percent hike on April 22. (Tona noted that the statewide deadline for districts to adopt their budgets was April 24.)
The revote will take place on June 17. A public hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3.
Trustee Chris Harrigan said he was “concerned that some in the community will hear that it’s the same budget” and asked whether the public notice would highlight the zero-percent tax increase.
“It’s the same budget but with a 0 percent tax levy,” Tona said. “I think it’s incumbent on all of us that we get that word out.”
The board also voted to rent voting machines—at a cost of just over $23,000—instead of using paper ballots. Hand-counting would have cost approximately $10,600.
Notes:
New trustee Kyle Potter was welcomed to the board after receiving the most votes in the May 20 school board election. He is completing the term of former Board of Education President Jonathan Schneider, which runs through June 30, and will begin his own three-year term on July 1.
A resident asked about the district’s policy on sharing curriculum with the community. Tona said teachers are working on a policy under the direction of Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Dr. Matthew Lawrence, and that it would be available “hopefully in the next school year.”
A motion to enter executive session, put forward by Trustee Michael Mongon, did not carry, ending the meeting.
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