Voters Approve $271.2 million Mount Vernon City School District Budget for 2024-25 School Year
MOUNT VERNON, N.Y. — Voters approved a $271,266,317 budget for the Mount Vernon City School District 2024-2025 school year by a 1,164-483 vote, Tuesday night. Results will be certified and made official on Wednesday.
The budget increases spending by $5,296,496, or 1.99%, from the 2023-2024 school year budget.
The spending plan maintains academic and extracurricular programming and expands and continues investments in academic initiatives throughout the District, including early childhood education and technology and dual language programs.
“Thank you to the Mount Vernon community for your support on this budget,” said Acting Superintendent Dr. K. Veronica Smith. “This spending plan will allow us to provide a high standard of education to our scholars in the upcoming school year and continue the positive academic trends throughout the District.”
The budget requires a 0% change to the $135,947,117 tax levy. State Foundation Aid will remain flat at $83,975,448. That accounts for 30.96% of the district’s revenue.
The budget takes effect July 1, maintains teaching and staffing levels and provides additional funding for transportation.
The largest increase in spending is $4,725,885 for special education programs. Other significant increases include $105,160 for extracurricular and interscholastic sports and $759,128 for employee benefits.
“To everyone who came out to support this budget, I want to extend my heartfelt thank you,” said Board of Education President Lorna Kirwan. “Your commitment and involvement are deeply appreciated and vital to our ongoing efforts to enhance our educational system. I am looking forward to this upcoming school year, as we continue on the mission of educating our youth and providing them with enriching opportunities and safe places to learn during and after school.”
Voters elected three members to the Board of Education, with a fourth seat pending the counting of absentee ballots:
● Dr. Donna Marable (1,175 votes) will be sworn in on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, and will serve a full term, expiring June 30, 2027
● Wanda White (1,119 votes) will be sworn in on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, and will serve a full term, expiring June 30, 2027
● Christopher McDonough (1,029 votes) will be sworn in on Tuesday, July 2, 2024, and will serve a full term, expiring June 30, 2027
● Helene Thompson-Njenga (956 votes) will be sworn in at a Special Meeting of the Board of Education on Thursday, May 23, 2024, and will serve the unexpired portion of a term that will run through June 30, 2025.
Cynthia Crenshaw (869 votes) and Erica Peterson (735 votes) did not earn a seat.
Earlier in the evening an explosive school board meeting in Mount Vernon was canceled before it could even begin Tuesday night. Leaders of the Mount Vernon Federation of Teachers say they have been fighting for fair wages from the district for two years and are tired of waiting. Members of the union rallied ahead of the regularly scheduled school board meeting Tuesday evening before trickling inside and making their demands heard in front of the school board.
Last week, Mount Vernon teachers staged a “walk-in” protest for contract negotiations to speed up. They previously told News 12 that negotiations have been going on for about two years.
About Mount Vernon City School District: With more than 7,500 students in 16 schools, the Mount Vernon City School District is committed to providing a quality education to all children while developing programs that meet the diverse academic and social needs of its students.
