Proposed $271M Mount Vernon School Budget On The Ballot May 21

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The 2024 budget and school board vote is May 21, and four seats are up for election on the Mount Vernon City School District Board of Education.

The proposed spending plan of $271,266,317 is 1.99 percent percent higher than the current budget.

The tax levy is not expected to rise.

District officials said that the budget would support: academic initiatives, early childhood instruction programs, technology and dual language progams.

"This year, we were able to make magic happen with our budget, regardless of our financial circumstances," Acting Superintendent K. Veronica Smith said. "We spent carefully and were able to ensure that our designation of 'significant fiscal stress' did not result in a reduction in programming, services or support for our scholars and their families. We are once again putting forth a budget with a 0% change to the tax levy, and our scholars will see the same, if not improved, services from the current school year. We are looking forward to a prosperous year for our scholars with no additional impact to taxpayers."

Four board seats will be up for election. There are three seats with terms expiring June 30, 2027, and one seat with an unexpired term beginning May 21, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025.

Candidates running include: Cynthia Crenshaw, Donna Marable, Chris McDonough, Erica Peterson, Helene Thompson-Njenga (incumbent), and Wanda White (incumbent).

In addition, there is a five-year term vacancy on the Library Board of Trustees.