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Tuckahoe BOE Approves $32M Schools Budget

EASTCHESTER, N.Y. – After months of debate and deliberation, the Tuckahoe Board of Education approved a $32 million budget that will be put to public vote in less than a month.

Photo Credit: Tuckahoe School District

At the latest Board of Education meeting, Superintendent Barbara Nuzzi’s $32,010,535 spending plan was unanimously approved, representing a 1.09 percent budget-to-budget increase and a tax levy increase of 1.71 percent, under the state mandated cap.

In advance of the May 19 public vote, the board will have a series of informational meetings for the public. There will be budget information sessions at 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Tuckahoe Community Center and Wednesday, May 6 at the William E. Cottle Elementary School auditorium, as well as a Board of Education public hearing at 7:30 p.m. at the Tuckahoe High School library Monday, May 11.

If the public does not approve the budget, it will be put to a second vote in June, and if it again failed, a contingency spending plan would have to be put in place, including more than $450,000 in additional cuts, likely to sports, clubs and other organizations that set the Tuckahoe School District apart from its neighbors.

The updated budget includes the elimination of three staff members that took a retirement incentive to allow for a cheaper replacement, and the use of the district fund balance to avoid any further cutting of programs for students.

According to district officials, “the fund balance is the ‘savings’ accumulated by the difference between revenues and expenditures over time. It changes annually based on the results from each year’s operations. It may increase or decrease, depending on many variables.”

Additionally, the budget can support as many as four full-time teachers, an athletic trainer and a facilities consultant. Additionally, various classroom spaces will be re-appropriated to maximize their viability.

Tuckahoe residents will have the opportunity to vote on the budget Tuesday, May 19. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Tuckahoe Community Center, Cottle Elementary and the Union Corners Fire House. 

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