POLICY …

The school district shall hold an annual school meeting and election at which the eligible voters of the school district will elect members of the Board of Education and vote on the school district budget for the coming school year.

The annual school meeting and election shall be held on the third Tuesday in May, unless the date conflicts with religious observances on that day, in which case the annual school meeting and election will be held on the second Tuesday in May.

NOTIFICATIONS & PUBLICATIONS

The school district clerk shall publish a notice of the time and place of the annual school meeting and election at least four (4) times within the seven (7) weeks prior to the meeting in two (2) newspapers having general circulation within the school district. The first publication of this notice shall be at least forty-five (45) calendar days prior to the meeting. The notice shall also contain notice of any other matter required by law.

Copies of the proposed budget to be voted upon at the annual school meeting and election will be available in each school building in the district for district residents, upon request, at the time of the annual school meeting and election and fourteen (14) days (other than Saturday, Sunday and holidays) prior to the annual school meeting and election.

Beginning with the proposed budget for the 2000-2001 school year, the Board of Education shall prepare a Property Tax Report Card, including items noted below, and make it publicly available to local newspapers of general circulation, appending it to copies of the proposed school budget made available for public inspection fourteen (14) days prior to the annual school meeting and election and by making copies available at the annual school meeting and election. A copy of the Property Tax Report Card shall also be submitted to the NYS Education Department by the end of the business day next following approval of the Property Tax Report Card by the Board of Education, but not later than twenty-four (24) days prior to the statewide uniform voting day.

Said Property Tax Report Card shall include the following items:

(1) The amount of total spending and total estimated school tax levy that would result from adoption of the proposed budget, and
(2) The percentage increase or decrease in total spending and the total school tax levy from the school district budget for the preceding school year, and
(3) The projected enrollment growth for the school year in which the budget is prepared and the percentage change in enrollment from the previous year, and
(4) The percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index, from January 1^st of the prior school year to January 1^st of the current school year
(5) The total spending and property tax levy that would result from adoption of a contingency budget

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ANNUAL SCHOOL MEETING & ELECTION (continued)

Beginning with the proposed budget for 2000-2001, the Board of Education shall mail a School Budget Notice to all qualified voters of the school district after the date of the public hearing on the proposed budget but no later than six (6) days prior to the annual school meeting and election or special district meeting at which a school budget vote will occur.

This School Budget Notice shall

(1) 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 1^st of the prior school year to January 1^st of the current school year, and
(2) set forth the date, time and place of the school budget vote, in the same manner as the legal notice of the annual school meeting and election.

Both the Property Tax Report Card and the School Budget Notice shall be in a form prescribed by the Commissioner of Education.

ELECTION PERSONNEL

PROPOSITIONS ON THE BALLOT

Under Education Law, the Board of Education has the authority to adopt reasonable rules and regulations concerning the submission of petitions to the Board of Education to place propositions on the ballot for the annual school meeting and election which may amend the budget.

Pursuant to those provisions, the Board of Education establishes the following guidelines:

(1) Unless otherwise provided by Education Law, petitions for the submission of a proposition must contain a minimum of twenty-five (25) signatures of qualified voters of the school district, or five percent (5%) of the number of votes at the last annual school election, whichever is greater
(2) Petitions must be filed with the school district clerk at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the annual school meeting and election to facilitate the preparation and printing of ballots
(3) Propositions must include the specific appropriations necessary for the purposes listed
(4) Wording of a petition must comply with legal requirements. If the wording does not comply, it may be changed or altered by the Board of Education, or the Board of Education may reject a petition for failure to comply

Propositions received in accordance with these specifications will be placed on the ballot as amendments and will be voted upon by the voters in the same manner as the proposed budget, except that the Board of Education shall not be required to place any proposition on the ballot.

CF: Section 2000, this Policy Handbook