2023-2024 Budget

Voters approve 2023-24 school budget; create capital reserve fund account

Pine Bush Central School District voters approved the $135,629,641 budget, with 61.97 percent of voters supporting the spending plan.

This year’s budget included a tax levy increase of $909,795 or 1.5 percent.

Incumbents Kristi Kheiralla and Cara Robertson ran unopposed for their seats on the board. They will each serve another three-year term for our district.

“I am so grateful to our residents for coming out and supporting this budget,” said Superintendent of Schools Brian Dunn. “It says a lot about a community that continually supports its school district and its students, year after year. I am proud to be a part of this district.

“I also want to congratulate Kristi Kheiralla and Cara Robertson and thank both of them for their service to our community,” said Superintendent Dunn. “These are board members with lots of governance and leadership experience and our district is better because of them. Thank you for your service and I look forward to continuing our work together.”

Voters also agreed to create a capital reserve fund account for a 10-year period. Creating the account does not cost the district any money. It simply creates the account in which unappropriated district funds may be deposited in the future, up to $20 million. These funds may be used to offset a future capital project.

This budget increases spending by $6,870,306. State aid increased by $5,960,511 and the district used $2,896,756 in fund balance in order to fund this budget. All existing programs are maintained in this budget. In addition, special education teachers, speech teachers, an addition pre-K teacher, English as a New Language teacher, a high school counselor, tech support staff, a teaching assistant and nine custodial workers will be added to better serve our students.

BUDGET VOTE/BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION OFFICIAL RESULTS

Budget

Yes – 672

No – 420

Creation of Capital Reserve Fund Account

Yes – 672

No – 416

Board of Education

*Kristi Kheiralla – 798

*Cara Robertson – 869

* incumbent

Budget Vote Breakdown

Official Results of May 16, 2023 Budget Vote and Board of Education Election

Location	Budget Proposition		Capital Reserve Fund Proposition		Board of Education Candidations
	Yes	No	Yes	No	Kristi Kheiralla	Cara Robertson
Walker Valley Fire House (Gardiner and Shawangunk)	159	115	157	116	195	240
Pine Bush Fire House (Crawford and Montgomery)	254	133	255	130	300	314
Circleville Evangelical Presbyterian Church (MT. Hope and Wallkill)	163	47	162	47	176	186
Bloomingburg Town Park (Mamakating)	93	119	95	117	121	126
Verified and Counted Affidavit Paper Ballots	3	6	3	6	6	3
Totals	672	420	672	416	798	869

Board proposes $135,629,641 budget for 2023-2024 school year

Voters go to polls May 16 for budget vote, to create a capital reserve fund account and board of education election; Tax levy increases 1.5 percent

Pine Bush Central School District residents will vote on a $135,629,641 budget on Tuesday, May 16, 2023, as well as elect two board of education members. Voters will also decide whether to create a capital reserve fund account in which unappropriated district funds can be reassigned and used for a future capital project.

The proposed tax levy will increase by 1.5 percent or $909,795, for a total of $61,562,815.

This budget is 5.33 percent more than the current year’s budget, an increase of $6.87 million. State aid increased 9.4 percent, providing nearly $6 million in additional aid over the current year’s figure. The district will also use $2,896,756 in fund balance for this budget.

The tax levy is the amount of money raised by taxes. Fund balance is money that was previously collected by the district but not appropriated.

Budget revenue includes state aid, property taxes, fund balance and other sources such as tuition, interest, continuing education fees, BOCES reimbursements, and late tax fees, to name a few.

Budget Newsletter

Click here to view the 2023-24 budget newsletter.

District’s Legal Notice

Click here for the district’s legal notice, which is included on the postcard mailed to residents.

Two candidates running for two board seats

Two candidates, both incumbents, are running for the two seats available on the board of education. Kristi Kheiralla and Cara Robertson are seeking reelection to the board.

Budget Vote and Board of Education Election is May 16, 2023

The district’s annual budget vote and board of education election will be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Voting will be from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. at the following polling locations throughout the district:

Election District No. 1: Walker Valley Fire House
3679 Route 52, Walker Valley
(Residents of the Towns of Gardiner and Shawangunk)
Election District No. 2: Pine Bush Fire House (Station 1)
2405 Route 52, Pine Bush
(Residents of the Towns of Crawford and Montgomery)
Election District No. 3: Circleville Evangelical Presbyterian Church
890 Goshen Turnpike, Circleville
(Residents of the Towns of Mount Hope and Wallkill)
Election District No. 4: Town of Mamakating Park in Bloomingburg
27-29 Mamakating Road, Bloomingburg
(Residents of the Town of Mamakating)

Budget FAQs

Candidate Petition Packet

Residents of the Pine Bush Central School District who wish to run for a seat on the board of education must complete a petition with a minimum of 25 signatures and turn it in to the district clerk by Monday, April 17, at 5 p.m.

Prospective candidates may download a petition packet here or stop by the district office, located at 156 Route 302, Pine Bush, and pick one up.

The packet explains the process of running for school board. It contains the physical petition pages that can be printed out and returned after signatures are gathered, as well as board policies, contribution and expenditure statements and information on upcoming workshops to prepare for becoming a board of education member.

Absentee Ballots

Applications for absentee ballots may be obtained from the district clerk or downloaded here. Applications must be received by the 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.

Applications for ballots may not be submitted more than 30 days prior to the election. The clerk will begin accepting absentee ballot applications on Monday, April 17, 2023.

All ballots must be received by the Office of the District Clerk no later than 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 16, 2023.

For further information, contact the district clerk at (845) 744-2031 ext. 4023.

Military Ballots

Any residents who are members of the military and in service on the date of the election may request a military absentee ballot. Please return the request by 5 p.m. on April 21, 2023. Your ballot will then be sent to you.

For further information, contact the district clerk at (845) 744-2031 ext. 4023.