Public hearing for the Whitehall Central School District budget presentation.

TOWN OF WHITEHALL

LEGAL NOTICE





Whitehall Central School

Notice of Budget Hearing

And

Notice of Annual Meeting, Budget Vote and Election




NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that a public hearing of the qualified voters of the Whitehall Central School District, Washington County, New York will be held in the Large Group Instruction Room in the Junior-Senior High School Building on Buckley Road in the Town of Whitehall, New York, on May 04, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. for the presentation of the budget.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that a copy of the statement of the amount of money which will be required for the ensuing year, for school purposes (2026-2027), may be obtained by any resident of the Districts at each school building during school hours, in the office of the District Clerk between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m., on the date of the Annual Meeting, Budget Vote and Election, as well as on the District’s website, beginning May 4, 2026, except Saturday, Sunday or holidays.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the Real Property Tax Exemption Report will be annexed to the budget and posted on District bulletin boards maintained for public notices, and on the district’s website.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that the annual meeting of the qualified voters of the Whitehall Central School District, Washington County, New York, will be held at the Large Group Instruction Room in the Junior-Senior High School Building on Buckley Road in the Town of Whitehall, New York, on May 19, 2026 between the hours of 12:00 o’clock noon and 8:00 o’clock P.M. during which hours the polls will be opened to vote 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 four (4) members of the Board of Education as follows:




One (1) member, for a 3-year term commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring on June 30, 2029, to succeed Randall Lambert whose term expires on June 30, 2026.




One (1) member for a 3-year term, commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029, to succeed Jared Mowatt whose term will expire June 30, 2026.




One (1) member for a 3-year term, commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029, to succeed Patrica Norton whose term will expire June 30, 2026.




One (1) member for a 3-year term, commencing July 1, 2026 and expiring June 30, 2029, to succeed Richard LaChapelle whose term will expire June 30, 2026.







 1. To vote on the following Proposition(s) which will be submitted for consideration:




PROPOSITION #1

Shall the Board of Education of the Whitehall Central School District be authorized to purchase one sixty-five (65) passenger school bus ($172,481.96) for the use of the said School District, one forty (41) passenger school bus ($181,454.78)for the use of the said School District, the estimated maximum cost thereof, not to exceed a total of $353,936.74 that such sum or so much thereof as may be necessary be expended from the unencumbered and unappropriated funds now on hand, or shall be raised by the levy of a tax to be levied and collected in annual installments in such years and in such amounts as may be determined by the Board of Education.




PROPOSITION #2

Shall the Board of Education of the Whitehall Central School District be authorized to utilize the District’s General Fund Balance to purchase approximately 7.32+/- Acres of real property located at 270 Broadway, Whitehall, New York 12887 (Tax Map No. 60.13-1-42), at a cost of $250,000, together with all reasonable and customary fees and closing costs?




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that petitions nominating candidates for the office of member of the Board of Education shall be filed with the Clerk of the District, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., no later than April 20, 2026. A petition is required to nominate a candidate to the office of member of the Board of Education. A nominating petition must be directed to the Clerk of the District; must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District, or two percent of the voters who voted in the 2026 election of the members of the Board of Education, whichever is greater, such number to be determined by the number of persons recorded on the poll list as having voted at such election; must state the residence of each signer, and must state the name and residence of the candidate therein nominated. Vacancies upon the Board of Education are not considered separate specific offices and nominating petitions shall not describe any specific vacancy upon the Board of Education for which the candidate is nominated.




NOTICE IS ALSO GIVEN that applications for absentee ballots and early mail-in ballots for the election of Board members, the adoption of the annual budget and referenda may be applied for at the office of the Clerk of the District beginning April 20, 2026. That list of all persons to whom absentee ballots and early mail-in ballots shall have been issued will be available in the said office of the Clerk on each of the five (5) days prior to the day of the election except Saturday, Sunday and holidays.




The Education Law also makes special provisions for absentee voting for “military” voters of the District. Specifically, the law provides a unique procedure for “military ballots” in school district votes. Whereas absentee ballots must be received by the voter by mail, a military voter may elect to receive his/her absentee ballot application and absentee ballot by mail, email or facsimile. The military voter must, however, return his/her original military ballot application and military ballot by mail or in person. The Clerk of the Board shall transmit the military voter’s military ballot in accord with the military voter’s preferred method of transmission not later than April 21, 2026. The Clerk of the Board must then receive the military voter’s military ballot by mail not later than 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote.




AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the qualified voters of the School District shall be entitled to vote in said annual vote and election. A qualified voter is one who is (1) a citizen of the United States of America, (2) eighteen (18) years of age or older, and (3) resident within the School District for a period of thirty (30) days preceding the annual vote and election. The School District may require all persons offering to vote at the budget vote and election to provide one form of proof of residency pursuant to Education Law section 2018-c. Such form may include a driver’s license, a non-driver identification card, a utility bill, or a voter registration card. Upon offer of proof of residency, the School District may also require all persons offering to vote to provide their signature, printed name and address.




AND FURTHER NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, that pursuant to a rule adopted by the Board of Education in accordance with §2035 and 2008 of the Education law, any referenda or propositions to amend the budget, or otherwise to be submitted for voting at said election, must be filed with the Board of Education at the District Office, 87 Buckley Road, Whitehall, NY, on or before April 20, 2026, at 5:00 PM prevailing time; must be typed or printed in the English language; must be directed to the Clerk of the School District; must be signed by at least twenty-five (25) qualified voters of the District; and must state the name and residence of each signer. However, the School board will not entertain any petition to place before the power of the voters to determine, or any proposition which fails to include a specific appropriation where the expenditures of monies is required by the proposition.




Dated: April 2, 2026

By order of the Board of Education

Danyelle Palmer

School District Clerk