More cuts could be on the way after voters overwhelmingly reject South County schools budget
The district said it will carefully review and discuss all available options moving forward.
More Stories
More cuts could be on the way for the already cash-strapped South Country School District after voters overwhelmingly said no to a budget that would have cut dozens of jobs and included a 13.5% tax hike.
"We understood from the outset that asking residents to approve a budget that was asking for a school tax increase of more than 13% was a significant request," the South Country Board of Education wrote in a letter to the community after the results came out last night. "Throughout the process, we heard and understood the concerns expressed by members of our community regarding the financial impact such an increase would have on them."
The proposed $150 million spending plan would have cut 43 teachers and five administrators just one year after the district cut 53 jobs to try and close a previous multimillion-dollar deficit.
Now, the district has to go back to the drawing board, already facing a growing financial hole.
A recent report by the New York Comptroller's office found years of fiscal mismanagement, including overspending and inaccurate projections by the district.
On May 6, then South Country Superintendent of Schools Antonio Santana resigned.
The state had to grant the district an $18 million loan to close this year's budget gap in addition to the millions it was expected to need for next year as well, after lawmakers said the district was weeks from running out of cash.
"While the proposed 2026-2027 budget was developed with the goal of maintaining the educational programs, services, and opportunities our students deserve, we acknowledge the outcome of the vote and the message communicated to us by the community," the board of education wrote.
At its May 6 meeting, the board of education laid out what additional cuts could be on the table if the initial budget failed. This includes eliminating 20 additional full-time employees, field trips, middle and high school athletics and increasing class sizes.
The district now has three options: it could present the same budget that just failed back to the voters, submit a revised one, or go immediately to a contingency budget.
A contingency budget comes with a 0% tax increase, but would force the district to cut an additional $9 million from its initial budget that voters just rejected. The board said this could result in even deeper cuts.
The district has until June 2 to present a new budget and must hold a public hearing within a week.
A revote would be held on June 16.
Voters did approve a plan to restructure the district's transportation and reduce costs by limiting the radius it would bus private school students from 25 miles to 15 miles. The plan was expected to save the district about $900,000.
