Public hearing and budget vote for Phoenix Central School District scheduled for May 2026.

OSWEGO COUNTY

PUBLIC NOTICE



NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING, BUDGET VOTE AND ELECTION; PHOENIX CENTRAL SCHOOL DISTRICT 2026-2027; NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the public hearing of the qualified voters of the Phoenix Central School District, Oswego County, New York, will be held in the District Office Conference Room in said District on Tuesday, May 5, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. prevailing time, for the presentation of the budget document, AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that said vote and election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 between the hours of 12:00 Noon and 9:00 p.m., prevailing time, in the Emerson J. Dillon Middle School, at which time the polls will be opened to vote by voting machine upon the following items:




 1. 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.




 1. To elect 3 members of the Board of Education. Three (3) for 3-year terms commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029. Names of the Last Incumbents: Mr. Wayne Halstead, Ms. Kate Kehn, and Mr. Earl Rudy; AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required to fund the school district’s budget for 2026-2027, exclusive of public monies, may be obtained by any resident of the district during hours beginning Tuesday, May 5, 2026, except Saturday, Sunday, or holidays, at the Administration Office, 116 Volney Street, Phoenix, New York and at each of the following school-houses: Maroun Elementary School, Emerson J. Dillon Middle School, and John C. Birdlebough High School. 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 District Office, not later than Monday, April 20, 2026 between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. 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 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 FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that applications for Absentee Ballots and Early Ballots will be obtainable between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, 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. Military voters who qualify to vote may apply for a Military Ballot. A military voter may indicate a preference to receive a military voter ballot application or Military Ballot by mail, facsimile transmission, or electronic mail. For a military voter to be issued a Military Ballot, the District Clerk must have received a valid ballot application no later than 3:00 pm. on April 24, 2026. Completed Absentee, Early, and Military ballots must be received by the District Clerk not later than 5:00 p.m., prevailing time on Tuesday, May 19, 2026.




A list of persons to whom Absentee, Early, and Military ballots are issued will be available for inspection to qualified voters of the District in the office of the District Clerk on and after May 11, 2026 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on weekdays prior to the day set for the annual election 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 Election before the close of the polls.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the Phoenix Central School District has established personal registration of voters. Voters may register at the District Office (back of MAM Elementary) location at 116 Volney Street, Phoenix, New York on any business day up to and including May 19, 2026 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. The only persons entitled to vote at the aforesaid election are those individuals who are citizens of the United States, at least 18 years of age, and a resident of the district for a period of 30 days preceding May 20, 2026. In addition, persons seeking to vote must: 1) Have their names previously placed upon the district voter register in accordance with the foregoing registration procedure; or 2) Have their names previously placed upon such register and have voted at an annual or special district meeting or election held or conducted during the calendar years of 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025; or 3) Be registered with the Oswego County Elections Board or the Onondaga County Elections Board to vote in general elections pursuant to the provisions of Article 5 of the Education Law.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a vote will be taken on Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at the aforementioned place and times upon the question of appropriation of the necessary funds to meet expenditures estimated by the Board of Education for the 2026-2027 school year, as follows:




PROPOSITION #1 – BUDGET PROPOSITION: RESOLVED that the proposed budget of expenditures of the Phoenix Central School District for the school year 2026-2027, and for the purposes shown in the statement of estimated expenditures adopted by the Board of Education, be and the same hereby is approved and the amount thereof, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be raised by a levy of a tax upon the taxable property of the school district, after first deducting the monies available from State Aid and other sources as provided by law.




PROPOSITION #2 – ACQUISITION OF BUSES: Shall the Board of Education of the Phoenix Central School District be authorized to purchase and finance three (3) diesel 66-passenger school buses and one (1) diesel 28-passenger school bus with wheelchair lift, including necessary furnishings, fixtures and equipment and all other costs incidental thereto, and expend a total sum not to exceed $735,435, which is estimated to be the total maximum cost thereof, and said amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be raised by the levy of a tax upon the taxable property of said School District and collected in annual installments as provided by Section 416 of the Education Law; and, in anticipation of such tax, obligations of said School District, in the principal amount not to exceed $735,435, shall be issued.




PROPOSITION #3 – LIBRARY LEVY: Resolved, that pursuant to Education Law, Section 259, the Board of Education of the Phoenix Central School District is authorized to levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school budget, in the amount of $4,526 (in addition to the current annual appropriation of $165,515 for a total of $170,041 annually), which shall be paid to the Phoenix 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 Phoenix Central School District.

PROPOSITION #4 – CAPITAL RESERVE: “Shall the Board of Education establish a Project Reserve Fund for capital improvements to the District’s buildings and facilities from time to time approved by the District voters with a term of ten (10) years and a maximum amount of $10,000,000, to be funded from (a) a transfer of the balance on deposit in the District’s current capital project reserve fund, which has reached the end of its term and will be closed; (b) fund balances as the Board of Education may designate from any general fund balance remaining at the end of each fiscal year; (c) funds from other sources including revenues that are not required by law to be paid into any other fund or account and (d) such amounts as may be authorized by the District’s voters from time to time.”




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that additional propositions may be placed upon the ballot for consideration by voters upon petition duly filed with the District Clerk at the District Office not later than 3:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026 as provided by the rules of the Board of Education, Maureen Haney, District Clerk Dated: March 31, 2026 Phoenix Central School District, Phoenix, NY Oswego County.