Sleepy Hollow Voters Reelect School Board Incumbents, Pass $66.83M Budget

This story was updated at 10:05 p.m.

SLEEPY HOLLOW, N.Y. – Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow voters in the Public Schools of the Tarrytowns District approved a $66.83 million budget and reelected B. Joseph Lillis, Craig Laub and Mimi Godwin to the board of education.

The budget passed with 638 votes for and 300 votes against, according to unofficial results Tuesday night.

Incumbents Lillis, Laub and Godwin ran unopposed. School board members serve three-year terms each.

“I think we have a great team and it's a privilege to be a part of it for another three years,” Laub said.

The passed budget will raise the tax rate by 1.97 percent for Tarrytown residents and 3.12 percent for Sleepy Hollow residents. The budget, which falls under the state mandated tax cap, adds teachers in math, special education and second grade because of increased enrollments and state mandates.

Budget changes to cover the new teachers include the sharing of one teaching assistant in two classrooms, elimination of a librarian position at the elementary level in favor of teaching assistants and the retirement of a prekindergarten social worker.

School officials also proposed eliminating sections of foreign language at the middle school for at-risk kids in favor of extra math instruction.

Voters also approved a separate proposition to purchase two 66-seat school buses at a cost not to exceed $240,000. The money to purchase the buses comes from the 2011-12 year and does not have an impact on next year's budget. School officials said the proposition is needed so that the district can receive state reimbursement for 39 percent of the cost. The proposition received 625 “yes” votes and 257 “no” votes.

After Tuesday's election, unofficial results show Lillis received 722 votes, Godwin received 776 votes and Laub received 752 votes.

Godwin thanked the community for their votes.

“I just think it's such an honor that the community has trust in us,” she said, adding that it was an honor to serve the community on the board.

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