Mount Vernon Voters Reject 2026 School District Budget, Elect School Board Members

The voters said no to the $276.2 million Mount Vernon schools budget, and chose which candidates will serve on the board of education.

By Jeff Edwards, Patch Staff

May 19, 2026 10:27 pm EDT

The voters have spoken. (Jeff Edwards/Patch)

MOUNT VERNON, NY — The ballots are in and voters have made a decision on the 2026 budget and school board.

"Tonight, the Mount Vernon community did not support the $276.2 million 2026-2027 school year budget with an unofficial vote of 768-887," Demario Strickland, Superintendent of Schools, said in a statement. "We will carefully consider our options and announce next steps in the upcoming days. The proposed budget was developed with the goal of maintaining academic and extracurricular initiatives such as athletics, as well as hiring additional math teachers and making enhancements to bilingual education and world languages. We will continue our work towards improving the Mount Vernon City School District and providing a valuable education."

Voters elected three members to the Board of Education: Carleen Evans (867 votes), Steven Vasquez (838 votes) and Lynne Middleton (825 votes).

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