School elections: East Ramapo budget fails; other Rockland proposals pass

East Ramapo Central School District's budget was rejected by voters Tuesday while the seven other Rockland County districts passed their spending proposals.

The vote tallies for East Rampo were released early Wednesday morning, hours after the other districts.

East Ramapo's budget fell 4,895-5,400, according to district clerk Cathy Russell. The nearly $210 million proposal would have cut more than 60 positions and is at the state tax levy limit with a 2.9 percent increase.

In 2012, only the East Ramapo district's budget was rejected at the Rockland County polls.

Six candidates ran for three open seats in the cash-strapped district. Bernard Charles, MaraLuz Corado and Pierre Germain defeated an opposing ticket of Robert Forrest, Eustache Clerveaux and Margaret Tuck.

Michael Zee, 35, a company manager from Monsey, said Tuesday outside the Louis Kurtz Civic Center in Spring Valley that his 8-year-old son -- who has developmental disabilities -- had suffered in years past while the board squabbled over money spent on special education.

"Today is the most important day for us," said Zee, who was giving out fliers and telling voters to support Bernard Charles and his camp. "We need to bring in some different people and different faces to the board; people who will not get involved in politics, crossing each other, but instead working together."

OTHER ROCKLAND DISTRICTS PASSED

The county's budgets were carefully crafted to stay below the state's tax cap. Across the state, school district leaders say they are challenged to create strong educational plans that face budget realities in post-recession New York. In Rockland, educators and residents state flatly that taxpayers are fed up with tax increases.

One voter, C.J. Bottitta, who was casting his ballot at Nanuet High School, said that the financial squeeze on school budgets has taken a toll on the educational system.

"It's a shame," he said. "I think we have great teachers, great students. We have a great community that really wants to help. But I think right now, financially there seems to be no silver lining."

The cap law limits tax increases to about 2 percent a year, with generous allowances for costs beyond a district's control, such as pension and health care costs. Statewide, the average proposed tax hike this year is 3.1 percent.

• In Nanuet, 511 voters -- or 70 percent -- passed a budget with a 3.3 percent increase in spending, which brought along a 1.1 percent tax hike.

• Nyack's school district will now adopt its budget with a 2.9 percent tax increase, with a vote of 648-248.

• Pearl River, where the taxes will now be 3.5 percent higher, passed its budget with 1,070 votes in favor, opposed to the 307 who voted against it.

• Ramapo Central -- which hit the 2 percent tax cap -- also passed with a 1,602-528 vote.

• South Orangetown -- which passed its budget with 71 percent of the vote -- will now see a 3.5 percent tax increase.

• In Clarkstown, 70 percent agreed to a 2.9 percent hike.

• The $206 million budget -- with a 3.6 percent tax increase -- in North Rockland passed 1,600-1,150.

Clarkstown Central Schools Superintendent J. Thomas Morton said his school board members didn't think the community would support a budget with a 4.3 percent tax increase, which is what the cap law allows his district.

"Basically it forced us to reduce the budget by $2 million," Morton said. "That's a significant cut, but if the budget didn't pass, we'd be cutting $13 million."

Nyack Public Schools Superintendent Jim Montesano said his board worked to keep programs, while trimming other expenses to come in about $360,000 below the tax cap limit.

"The board made a lot of difficult decisions in trying to reduce their costs," Montesano said. "But they were mostly not in instruction."