Lakeland Offers $175.7M Budget For 2022-23 For Voter Approval

SHRUB OAK, NY — The Lakeland school district will be asking voters to approve a $175.7 million budget for the 2022-23 school year May 17.

That represents a 4.41 percent increase in the spending over the current budget, which is $168.2 million.

District officials said the tax levy increase will be 1.99 percent, well under the state-mandated tax cap of 3.49 percent.

The Board of Education will hold a public hearing on the budget at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Van Cortlandtville Elementary School, 3100 E. Main St. in Mohegan Lake.

Tentative tax rate changes, as provided by the school district, are as follows:

Tax assessments for Putnam County will not be finalized until August, so the district said it can only provide estimates of the town rates based on current information.

Also on the ballot will be two other propositions.

The district wants to purchase various school buses and vehicles in the amount of $1.36 million. It also is asking voters to approve the transfer of funds from unappropriated, unassigned fund balance at the end of each school year to the repair reserve fund, up to a maximum amount of $3.5 million over 5 years.

There are 12 people running to fill four trustee positions on the Board of Education. They are:

• Joe Ascanio
• Becky Burfeind, incumbent
• Beth Dee
• Paul Edwards
• Adam Kaufman, incumbent
• Marianne Kolesar, incumbent
• Chuck Monsanto
• Michael Marchese
• Genie Muller
• Erin O'Grady
• Maggie Perlman
• Laura Perozo

Voting will take place from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, May 17 at Van Cortlandtville Elementary School.