East Ramapo Central School District Budget Re-Vote Earns a Resounding No

By M. C. Millman

In a school district that spends $31,421 per student each year, voters for the East Ramapo Central School District made it clear in yesterday's revote that they want no part in increased school budget taxes. The revised budget failed to pass by a vote of 2,102 to 1,097.

While the cost for a second voting round is an estimated $150,000, in the past, this has been well worth the investment for the ERCSD. Since 2010 there have been six revotes on budgets that were reworked after being voted down. Yesterday's vote is the first time since then that a budget was defeated after a revote on a revised budget. 

In 2010 over 15,000 voters defeated a budget increase that passed in a revote cast by 9,000 residents a month later. In contrast, 3,319 voters turned out to vote the budget down in May of this year, with 3,223 coming out for the revote despite a dearth of phone calls, ads, and flyers being sent out from civic-minded local organizations (other than the ERCSD) to remind voters of yesterday's revote.