Chappaqua Sets Hearing On $128.2 Million School Budget

CHAPPAQUA, NY — The Chappaqua Board of Education will do a new thing on May 27 — hold its annual budget hearing remotely. That's only one of the many changes forced on the district by the new coronavirus pandemic in New York.

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.

While the amount of state aid for 2020-21 was initially $9.6 million, the size of the mid-year "pandemic adjustment" is as yet unknown.

Chappaqua administrators and trustees have been working on how to mitigate the effect of lower revenues since March. The proposed spending plan they're putting before voters is $128.2 million, about $1 million lower than they had originally planned. The proposed increase in the tax levy is 1.49 percent.

You can check out the superintendent's presentation on the spending plan for 2020-21 here.

The school board will start its annual budget hearing at 7 p.m. May 27.

Things to know:

1. School district budget votes and school board elections are by absentee ballot only in 2020.
2. Absentee ballots will be mailed to all registered voters in the district the week of May 25.
3. 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.