Tuesday, May 21, 2024 is school budget vote day. Residents of the Stillwater Central School District will vote on the proposed $30,782,778 budget for the 2024-25 school year, two additional propositions and elect three members to the Board of Education.

The proposed budget sustains all educational programs for students, preserves current services, and includes the purchase of three new school buses. It incorporates funding for salary increases for faculty and staff, as well as increased costs associated with health insurance and other employee benefits.

District residents will also vote on two additional propositions:

• Public Library Proposition: Community members will vote on a proposition requested by and for the Stillwater Public Library to raise $378,757, separate and apart from the annual School District budget, to support, maintain and fund the operating budget of the library. Voters will also be asked to elect four members to the library’s Board of Trustees; three vacancies will be elected for at-large terms running from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2027, with a fourth elected at large for a one-year term running from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
• Establishment of a Capital Reserve: Stillwater residents will vote on a proposition to approve the establishment of a capital reserve. This reserve would be funded with current unassigned fund balance that would be reallocated to the reserve. The monies in the reserve would be used to help offset the cost of future capital project(s). While the proposition is asking the voters to authorize the district to fund the reserve in an amount up to $10 million, the actual amount to be transferred to the reserve would be determined at the end of the 2023-24 fiscal year.

Lastly, voters will elect three members to the Board of Education. Three seats are up for election for three-year terms. Two will commence on July 1, 2024 and expire on June 30, 2027, to succeed incumbents Jon Mueller and Jimel Williams, and one will begin immediately on May 22, 2024 to fill the vacated seat of Paul Lilac and expire on June 30, 2027. The candidates, in alphabetical order, are Melissa DeCota, Jon Mueller and Melissa Zdonick. Learn more about the candidates on the district website.

Stillwater residents can vote from 12-9 p.m. in the Stillwater High School Auditorium. Results will be posted to the district website once the polls are closed and all votes have been counted.

To learn more about the 2024-25 budget, please visit the “Budget & Finance” page.