Dear Pine Bush staff and parents,

Tonight’s message is about our school elections. Though the election is scheduled for next Tuesday, June 9, it is really already underway, since this year, it is being done completely by absentee ballot. By now, everyone entitled to an absentee ballot should have already received one, and if you have already put it in the mail to send back to us, then THANK YOU!

If you have never voted with an absentee ballot before, I have posted a video explaining how to complete and cast your ballot on our district website. To make it easy to find, we posted it in the banner at the very top of our homepage – www.pinebushschools.org.  The video also includes information about how we count the ballots to protect the privacy of every voter and to protect the integrity of the election by validating that each ballot received is coming from a voter in our qualified voter database.

Now, if you haven’t completed your ballot yet, the current rules say that it must be received by 5 p.m. next Tuesday, June 9, in order to be counted. Today the governor hinted that he might extend that deadline, but if he’s going to change anything, he will tell us at his briefing on Sunday. Please know that we have been accepting ballots dropped off at our district office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. each weekday, Monday through Friday.  Next Tuesday, we will accept ballots until 5 p.m. So if you don’t think your ballot can get here in time by mail, then please arrange to have the same envelope you would have mailed dropped off in our secure mail bag here at 156 State Route 302. That’s the small wooden building just south of the high school.

I do want to stress that you must be sure to sign and date the affidavit or oath envelope – the envelope that contains your ballot. (The affidavit or oath envelope goes inside the return envelope that you will mail or drop off to us).

The annual school election will determine our budget for next school year and who will fill two seats on our board of education. We hope all qualified voters take the time to participate.

I’ll be back on Sunday with a message about the last week of school, and I encourage everyone to check out the new featured video at the bottom of the homepage on our website. It’s a poem by Science Department Chair, Dr. Mike Raucci, written for his students about the current circumstances in our country and performed by many of his high school colleagues.

Have a great evening.

Tim O. Mains, Pine Bush Superintendent