2022 - Vote on school district budgets and on the election of school district trustees and board of education members.
§ 2022. Vote on school district budgets and on the election of school district trustees and board of education members. 1. Notwithstanding any law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the election of trustees or members of the board of education, and the vote upon the appropriation of the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures, in any common school district, union free school district, central school district or central high school district shall be held at the annual meeting and election on the third Tuesday in May, provided, however, that such election shall be held on the second Tuesday in May if the commissioner at the request of a local school board certifies no later than March first that such election would conflict with religious observances. When such election or vote is taken by recording the ayes and noes of the qualified voters attending, a majority of the qualified voters present and voting, by a hand or voice vote, may determine to take up the question of voting the necessary funds to meet the estimated expenditures for a specific item separately, and the qualified voters present and voting may increase the amount of any estimated expenditures or reduce the same, except for teachers' salaries, and the ordinary contingent expenses of the schools. The sole trustee, board of trustees or board of education of every common, union free, central or central high school district and every city school district to which this article applies shall hold a budget hearing not less than seven nor more than fourteen days prior to the annual meeting and election or special district meeting at which a school budget vote will occur, and shall prepare and present to the voters at such budget hearing a proposed school district budget for the ensuing school year. 2. Except as provided in subdivision four of this section, nothing in this section shall preclude the trustees or board of education, in their discretion, from submitting additional items of expenditure to the voters for approval as separate propositions or the voters from submitting propositions pursuant to section two thousand eight and two thousand thirty-five of this article. 2-a. Every common, union free, central, central high school district and city school district to which this article applies shall mail a school budget notice to all qualified voters of the school district after the date of the budget hearing, but no later than six days prior to the annual meeting and election or special district meeting at which a school budget vote will occur. The school budget notice shall compare the percentage increase or decrease in total spending under the proposed budget over total spending under the school district budget adopted for the current school year, with the percentage increase or decrease in the consumer price index, from January first of the prior school year to January first of the current school year, and shall also include the information required by paragraphs a and b of this subdivision. The notice shall also set forth the date, time and place of the school budget vote, in the same manner as in the notice of annual meeting. Such notice shall be in a form prescribed by the commissioner. a. Commencing with the proposed budget for the two thousand one--two thousand two school year, such notice shall also include a description of how total spending and the tax levy resulting from the proposed budget would compare with a projected contingency budget adopted pursuant to section two thousand twenty-three of this article, assuming that such contingency budget is adopted on the same day as the vote on the proposed budget. Such comparison shall be in total and by component (program, capital and administrative), and shall include a statement of the assumptions made in estimating the projected contingency budget. b. Commencing with the proposed budget for the two thousand eight--two thousand nine school year, such notice shall also include, in a formatprescribed by the commissioner, an estimate of the tax savings that would be available to an eligible homeowner under the basic school tax relief (STAR) exemption authorized by section four hundred twenty-five of the real property tax law if the proposed budget were adopted. Such estimate shall be made in the manner prescribed by the commissioner, in consultation with the office of real property services. 3. In all elections for trustees or members of boards of education or votes involving the expenditure of money, or authorizing the levy of taxes, the vote thereon shall be by ballot, or, in school districts that prior to nineteen hundred ninety-eight conducted their vote at the annual meeting, may be ascertained by taking and recording the ayes and noes of such qualified voters attending and voting at such district meetings. 4. In the event that the original proposed budget is not approved by the voters, the sole trustee, trustees or board of education may adopt a final budget pursuant to subdivision five of this section or resubmit to the voters the original or a revised budget pursuant to subdivision three of section two thousand seven of this part. Upon one defeat of such resubmitted budget, the sole trustee, trustees or board of education shall adopt a final budget pursuant to subdivision five of this section. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, the school district budget for any school year, or any part of such budget or any propositions involving the expenditure of money for such school year shall not be submitted for a vote of the qualified voters more than twice. 5. If the qualified voters fail to approve the proposed school district budget upon resubmission or upon a determination not to resubmit for a second vote pursuant to subdivision four of this section, the sole trustee, trustees or board of education, after applying thereto the public school moneys and other moneys received or to be received for that purpose, shall levy a tax for the sum necessary for teachers' salaries and other ordinary contingent expenses in accordance with the provisions of this subdivision and section two thousand twenty-three of this article. 6. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision four of section eighteen hundred four and subdivision five of section nineteen hundred six of this title, subdivision one of section two thousand two of this article, subdivision one of this section, subdivision two of section twenty-six hundred one-a of this title and any other provision of law to the contrary, the annual district meeting and election of every common, union free, central and central high school district and the annual meeting of every city school district in a city having a population of less than one hundred twenty-five thousand inhabitants that is scheduled to be held on the third Tuesday of May, two thousand three is hereby adjourned until the first Tuesday in June, two thousand three. The trustees or board of education of each such school district shall provide notice of such adjourned meeting to the qualified voters in the manner prescribed for notice of the annual meeting, and such notice shall provide for an adjourned budget hearing. The adjourned district meeting or district meeting and election shall be deemed the annual meeting or annual meeting and election of the district for all purposes under this title and the date of the adjourned meeting shall be deemed the statewide uniform voting day for all purposes under this title. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision seven of section sixteen hundred eight or subdivision seven of section seventeen hundred sixteen of this title or any other provision of law, rule or regulation to the contrary, in two thousand three the property tax report card shall be submitted to the department no later than twenty days prior to the dateof the adjourned meeting and the department shall make its compilation available electronically at least seven days prior to such date.