Annual school budget vote is May 19

On Tuesday, May 19, Liberty Central School District residents will vote on a $72 million budget proposal for the 2026-27 school year that maintains programs and services while building on enhancements and efficiencies district-wide without increasing the tax levy.

This is the eighth consecutive year there is no proposed tax levy increase.

The vote will take place between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the Liberty High School Media Center.

The proposed $72,032,104 budget increases spending 5.14%, or $3,523,742, and would fund all current student programs and services while accounting for increases in costs such as health care, transportation and contractual obligations.

Based on the governor’s budget proposal’s state aid projections, the district expects an overall increase in state aid of about $1.1 million, with the tax lex levy remaining at $17,760,162.

The proposed budget would help support Liberty’s effort to continue offering enhanced educational opportunities, such as an expansion of courses offered through Syracuse University Project Advance and additional extracurricular activities, including intramural sports at the elementary level.

“A robust curriculum is vital to providing the opportunities our students need to succeed,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “We are happy to be able to do so while keeping our tax levy steady.”

---

Snapshot

• Proposed Total Budget: $72,032104
• Proposed Budget Change: $3,523,742 (+514%)
• Proposed School Tax Levy: $17,760,162
• Proposed School Tax Levy Change: None

Proposed revenues

• Property Taxes: $17,760,162 (no change)  — 24.66% of revenue
• State Aid*: $51,177,742 (+5.89%) — 71.05% of revenue
• Fund Balance: $0 (no  change) — % of revenue
• Reserves: $0 (no  change)— % of revenue
• Other: $3,094,200 (+27.91%) — 4.30% of revenue
• Total: $72,032,104 (+5.14%)

*Based on the governor’s budget proposal projections, as the state budget was not passed before the Liberty school budget proposal was approved by the board of education.

Proposed expenditures

• General Support: $6,678,311 (+7.5%) — 9.27% of expenditures
• Instruction: $36,323,593 (+5.20%) — 50.43% of expenditures
• Pupil Transportation: $8,195,500 (+0.45%) — 11.38% of expenditures
• Employee Benefits: $17,586,300 (+8.11%) — 24.41% of expenditures
• Debt Service: $2,888,400 (no change) — 4.01% of expenditures
• Interfund Transfers: $360,000 (-20.88%) — 0.50% of expenditures
• Total: $72,032,104 (+5.14%)

Proposed components

• Administrative Component: $7,763,375 (+8.51%) — 10.78% of budget
  • Includes salaries and benefits of administrators, supervisors, and administrative clerical staff, public information, printing, curriculum and staff development, school board costs, general insurance and professional fees.
• Program Component: $55,793,949 (+5.24%) — 77..46% of budget
  • Includes salaries and benefits of all teachers and staff who deliver pupil services (guidance, health, library/media, etc.), textbooks, co-curricular activities, athletics, and transportation costs.
• Capital Component: $8,474,780 (+1.65%) — 11.77 % of budget
  • Includes salaries and benefits of maintenance and custodial staff, debt service on buildings, utilities, equipment, and  court-ordered costs.

---

School Board

Liberty Central School District has a nine-person Board of Education. All seats are at-large, with three seats up for election each year. Each member serves a three-year term.

Those who wish to run for school board must be: able to read and write; a citizen of the United States; at least 18 years of age; a qualified voter of the district; and a resident of the school district for at least one year prior to election  No employee of the school district may be a member of the board, except as permitted by law, and no more than one member of a family shall be a member of the same Board of Education.

Prospective board members should contact District Clerk Tania DeFrank at tdefrank@LibertyK12.org or 845-292-6990 for a nomination packet and petition. Completed forms, including a petition with at least 25 valid signatures of qualified district voters, must be returned to the district office no later than 5 p.m. April 21.

The seats currently held by Erin Abplanalp, Maureen Stabak and Eugene S. Thalmann will be up for election this year. The candidate names, in the order they will appear on the ballot, are: Miriam Breuer, Maureen Stabak, Miriam Heimlich, Miriam R. Singer, Erin Abplanalp and Eugene S. Thalmann.

The top three vote-getters will serve three-year terms running July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029.

---

Voting Information

Voters must be 18 years old,  a U.S. citizen and a district resident for at least 30 days and be registered to vote at their county board of elections, which will automatically register them to vote at the district. The last day to register with the district is five days before the election (May 14).

Along with traditional absentee balloting, which requires a reason for voting early, New York State allows for early voting via mail without requiring justification. Voters must fill out an application for either form. There are separate applications for each, but the application process and deadlines are the same for both.

Qualified voters may request an early voting or absentee ballot application by contacting District Clerk Tania DeFrank at tdefrank@LibertyK12.org or 845-292-6990. They may also be downloaded and printed here: Absentee ballot (English); Absentee ballot (Spanish); Early voting (English); Early voting (Spanish). The last day for absentee/early ballot applications to be received for those who will be mailed a ballot is seven days before the vote (May 12). The last day for absentee/early ballot applications to be received in person and the ballot delivered by hand is the day before the vote (May 18).  Absentee/early voting ballots must be received by the District Clerk by 5 p.m. the day of the vote (May 19) in order to be counted.

Military voters who are qualified voters of the district may apply for a military ballot by requesting an application from the district clerk and the valid application must be received no later than 5 p.m.  about 27 days (April 23) before the election.  Military voters who are not registered to vote may apply to register by filling out a Military Voter Registration Application, which can also be obtained by requesting an application from the district clerk and completed applications must be received by the clerk by 5 p.m. the same day as the application deadline (April 23). Military voters may indicate a preference for receiving a military voter registration, military ballot application, or military ballot by mail, fax or email in their request for such registration, ballot application or ballot. The school district will transmit military ballots to military voters no later than the day after the deadline (April 24). Completed military ballots must be received by the district by 5 p.m. the day of the vote (May 19) to be counted.