$167M Ossining School Budget Proposal On The Ballot May 16

OSSINING, NY — The 2023 budget and school board vote is May 16, and three seats are up for election on the Ossining Board of Education.

Terms are up for Trustees Graig Galef, Lisa Rudley and Frank Schnecker. Four candidates will be on the ballot:

• Frank Schnecker
• Kelly Leveille
• Robert Melstein
• Quratul (Annie) Gomez

The spending plan before voters is $167,014,417, which is $15.5 million higher than the current budget. You can see the 147-page budget document here.

District officials said they were focused on three goals: multiple literacies, culture of care and relevant learning.

The tax levy is expected to stay the same. The state's tax cap was set at 2 percent for the second straight year.

A budget hearing is scheduled for May 3, at 7:30 p.m. in the Anne M. Dorner Middle School Cafeteria, 100 Van Cortlandt Ave.

The Ossining Public Library will also be on the ballot. The proposed budget for the next fiscal year is $5,430,077. There also will be an election for two trustees.

If you are unsure whether you are registered for general elections with the county, you can check your status. Click here to find out if you are registered with the Board of Elections. If you need to update your name or address with the Board of Elections, contact them at Westchester County Board of Elections or by phone at 914-995-2000.

Voters may register online with the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, or by mail through the County Board of Elections.

The Ossining Union Free School District has ongoing personal registration. You may register in person in the Main Office of each of our school buildings or at the Office of the District Clerk, by appointment.

The deadline to register is May 11, if you plan to vote on May 16. Registrations received after May 11 will be added to the registration list for next year.

Voters who cannot go to the polls May 16 may submit an Absentee Ballot Application to the District Clerk in order to obtain an Absentee Ballot. Upon receipt, the District Clerk will mail an Absentee Ballot to you.

Registered voters may request an application for an absentee ballot online.

Absentee Ballot Application - English
Absentee Ballot Application - Spanish

Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter or the voter’s designated agent.

Absentee ballots must be returned to the District Clerk's Office by 5 p.m. May 16.

Editor's note: Information about the spending plan being put before voters May 16 was out-of-date in the original version of this article. Patch regrets the errors.