School district elections take place Tuesday, May 20, and lohud.com will post results as we get them for districts in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.
Polling hours vary but most districts close polls by 9 or 9:30 p.m. Look for lohud to start posting results shortly after 9:30 p.m. for small districts, although it usually takes several hours for some districts to release results.
Registered voters will be asked to approve school board proposals for 2025-26 and choose school board candidates. Some districts will also ask voters to weigh in on a variety of propositions that have to do with spending public money. In some districts, library budgets and trustees are also on the ballot.
Turnout is usually quite low for school elections, which take place each year in May.
Three districts — Mamaroneck, New Rochelle and Pearl River — are proposing to raise their property tax levies by more than allowed under their state-imposed tax caps, meaning they will need the support of more than 60% of voters.
Of the 53 voting districts in the Lower Hudson Valley, 28 are proposing to increase their tax levy as much as allowed under their tax caps. The Yonkers Public Schools, as one of New York’s “Big 5” school systems, does not have a public vote on its budget.
Districts where budget plans are defeated can propose second budget plans for public votes on June 17.
Last year, voters rejected initial budget plans in Chappaqua and East Ramapo. Chappaqua was among four districts in the Lower Hudson Valley that proposed breaking their tax caps, but voters approved a second, revised budget plan that stayed under the district’s tax cap.
East Ramapo voters approved a second budget plan that included a 1% tax levy increase. But state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa, in a rare move, ordered the district to raise this year’s tax levy by an additional 4.38%, an action that continues to divide the community.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Lohud to post Westchester, Rockland NY school election results May 20