New Rochelle Proposes $283M School Budget For 2020-21

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — New Rochelle residents will vote by mail on June 9 this year to approve the district's proposed 2020-2021 school budget. The district will hold a public hearing on the proposed budget at 7 p.m. on May 28. A link to the virtual meeting will be posted on the school's website.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has warned that the economic effect of the shutdown imposed to curb the outbreak could mean much less money available for state education aid. The state will be assessing and adjusting its budget several times in the course of 2020. Cuomo's last estimate was that state aid would be 20 percent lower than already promised.

New Rochelle Public Schools has not yet determined what it has lost in state aid, but the district's budget grew by 1.02 percent, or $2,863,535, from the 2019-2020 school year.

The proposed spending New Rochelle's administrators and trustees are putting before voters is $283.9 million. The proposed increase in the tax levy is the same as the current year.

You can check out the draft spending plan for 2020-21.

The Board of Education met May 5 to review the preliminary budget.

Things to know:

• School district budget votes and school board elections are by absentee ballot only in 2020.
• Absentee ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in the district the week of May 25.
• If you are not registered, you may register by mail with the County Board of Elections or apply through the state online.

To vote, you must be:

• A United States citizen
• At least 18 yrs of age by June 9, 2020
• A resident of the district by May 10, 2020
• Cannot have been disqualified from voting based upon a reason described in Election Law §5-106.