Public hearing and vote for school budget and board member nominations.

NOTICE OF SCHOOL DISTRICT PUBLIC HEARING AND VOTE Notice is hereby given that the Public Hearing of the inhabitants of the Richfield Springs Central School District of the Towns of Richfield, Springfield, Otsego and Exeter, Otsego County, and Columbia and Warren, Herkimer County, New York, qualified to vote at school meetings in said district will be held at the Richfield Springs Central School in said district on Wednesday, May 6, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. for the transaction of such business as is authorized by Education Law. And notice is also given that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year of school purposes, exclusive of public moneys, may be obtained by any taxpayer in the district during the fourteen days immediately preceding the Budget Vote, except Saturday, Sunday, or holidays at the following location during the hours designated: Richfield Springs Central School, hours 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. In addition, the district tax exemption report will be available for review. Proposition #1- BASIC BUDGET To adopt the annual budget of the School District for the fiscal year 2026/2027 and to authorize the requisite portion thereof to be raised by taxation on the taxable property of the District. Proposition #2-BUS PURCHASE Resolved, that the Board of Education of the Richfield Springs Central School District is hereby authorized to undertake the acquisition of school buses, including, without limitation, one (1) school bus at an estimated maximum cost of $180,657, and one (1) minivan-type vehicle at an estimated maximum cost of $49,478, all at an estimated maximum aggregate cost of $230,135, less trade-in value, if any, and that such cost, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be raised by the levy of a tax to be collected in annual installments, with such tax to be offset by state aid available therefor; and, in anticipation of such tax, debt obligations of the school district as may be necessary not to exceed $230,135 shall be issued, or the School District may enter into an installment purchase contract if the Board of Education determines that it is in the best interest of the School District to finance the purchase in that method. Proposition #3-PUBLIC LIBRARY BUDGET SHALL the Board of Education of the Richfield Springs Central School be authorized, pursuant to Education Law, Section 259, to levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school district budget, in the amount of $213,903, which shall be paid to the Richfield Springs Public Library for the support and maintenance of the library, with this appropriated amount to be the annual appropriation until thereafter modified by a future vote of the electors of the Richfield Springs Central School District? AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of said School District at her office in the Richfield Springs Central School, no later than Monday, April 20, 2026, between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Vacancies on the Board of Education are not considered separate, specific offices; candidates run at large. Nominating petitions shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the Board for which the candidate is nominated; must be directed to the Clerk of the District; must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District; must state the name and residence of each signer, and, must state the name and residence of the candidate, and state that the candidate is a qualified voter of the District. The following vacancy is to be filled on the Board of Education: (1) Three-year term (last incumbent) Brad Smith Voting for the board vacancy, and the 2026/2027 school budget will take place between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 in the entrance adjacent to the baseball field. Voting will be by voting machine, absentee ballot or early voter ballot. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that the qualified voters of the School District shall be entitled to vote at said annual vote and election. A qualified voter is one who is (1) a citizen of the United States of America, (2) eighteen years of age or older, and (3) a resident within the School District for a period of thirty (30) days next preceding the annual vote and election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots (where applicable) will be obtainable beginning April 21, 2026 between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM Monday through Friday, except holidays, from the District Clerk. Completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Absentee ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 PM, prevailing time, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. A list of persons to whom absentee ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk during each of the five business days prior to the day of the annual vote and election between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM, and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election, and said list will be posted at the polling place at the election. Any qualified voter present in the polling place may object to the voting of the ballot upon appropriate grounds for making his/her challenge and the reasons therefore known to the Inspector of Elections before the close of the polls. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that applications for early mail ballots will be obtainable during school business hours from the District Clerk, applications will be accepted by the District Clerk beginning April 21, 2026; completed applications must be received by the District Clerk at least seven (7) days before the election if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. Early mail ballots must be received by the District Clerk no later than 5:00 pm, prevailing time, on May 19, 2026. A list of persons to whom early mail ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk during each of the five business days prior to the day of the annual vote and election between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:30 PM, and on May 19, 2026, the day set for the election, and said list will be posted at the polling place at the election. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that military voters who are qualified voters of the Richfield Springs Central School District may request an application for a military ballot from the District Clerk by mail to District Clerk, P.O. Box 631, Richfield Springs, NY 13439, by email to mshaw@richfieldcsd.org, or fax sent to 315-858-0582. In such request, the military voter may indicate their preference for receiving the application by mail, fax or email. A military voter must return the original military ballot application by mail to the office of the District Clerk at Richfield Springs Central School District, P.O. Box 631, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. In order for a military voter to be issued a military ballot, a valid military ballot application must be received in the office of the District Clerk no later than 5:00 P.M., on April 24, 2026. Military ballot applications received in accordance with the foregoing will be processed in the same manner as a non-military ballot application under Section 2018-b of the Education Law. The application for military ballot may include the military voter’s preference for receipt of the military ballot by mail, fax, or email. AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, a military voter’s original military ballot must be returned by mail to the office of the District Clerk at Richfield Springs Central School District, P.O. Box 631, Richfield Springs, NY 13439. Military ballots shall be canvassed if they are received by the District Clerk before 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026, and signed and dated by the military voter and one witness thereto, with a date which is ascertained to be not later than the day before the election. March 20, 2026 By: Board of Education Richfield Springs Central School Richfield Springs, NY 13439 Marilyn Shaw, District Clerk 4/3, 4/17, 5/1, 5/15/26 #12187506