Category: District News
Liberty CSD voters approve $68.5M school budget proposal, $7.5M capital project
On Tuesday, May 20, voters in the Liberty Central School District approved, 658-131, the district’s $68.5 million budget proposal for the 2025-26 school year.
“We thank the residents of Liberty Central School District for their continued support so we can empower our students to contribute and thrive in a diverse community by pursuing their potential,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “We are also happy we could present a budget that, for the seventh year in a row, did not increase the tax levy.”
The $68,508,362 budget funds all current student programs and services as the district continues its vertical and horizontal alignment of curriculum, adding the curriculum management platform Eduplanet to aid in curriculum mapping. The district is also expanding partnerships with colleges and universities to offer additional credit-bearing classes for high school students.
Voters also approved a nearly $7.5 million capital project, 616-167. The project will add air conditioning to the elementary school to address recent state legislation that sets 88 degrees as the maximum temperature in educational and support services spaces. The project also includes related boiler and electrical upgrades. There is no expected tax levy impact, as fund balances will be used to offset the costs not covered by state reimbursements.
“We are glad that this project was approved so that we can help keep our students cool in a more cost-effective manner by working this into our ongoing project,” Dr. Sullivan said.
Three board of education members were elected to three-year terms on the board. John L. Nichols with 761 votes, Timothy Hamblin with 759 votes and Matthew DeWitt with 762 votes Also on the ballot were: Miriam Rivka Singer who received 28 votes, and Miriam Heimlich who received 27 votes. Six write-in votes were also cast: four for Richard Ienuso and one each for Mike Grosman and Pamela Hamlin.
Groundbreaking set for Phase 1 of capital project
Dirt will soon be moved for the Liberty Central School District capital project that was approved by voters in January 2024. Following final approval by the state Education Department earlier this month, Phase 1 of the project is set to begin on June 16.
A ceremonial groundbreaking ceremony will take place at the football field at 9 a.m. Friday, June 13, featuring officials from the district as well as project partners construction management firm Schoolhouse Construction, design and architecture firm LAN Associates, and construction firm Clark Companies, who is contracted to complete the work for the athletic field improvements..
Phase1 of the project includes construction of the maintenance building; athletic facility improvements, including the installation of a new synthetic turf field, track and field improvements, installation of a grandstand and press box, and installation of new athletic field lighting; upgrades to the HVAC controls at the middle and high school; upgrades to the carbon monoxide alarm system and replacement of exterior stairs at the high school; and replacements of some interior doors at the middle school.
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of May 19-25, 2025
Our student-athletes are in action this week in baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field.
Here are the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section IX website for the latest.
Monday, May 19
Noon: Boys and Girls Varsity Track and Field Thrower’s Pentathlon vs. Multiple Schools at 12th Rock
4:30 p.m.: Boys Varsity Tennis vs. James I. O’Neill at James I. O’Neill High School
Tuesday, May 20
9 a.m.: Boys Varsity Golf Sectionals vs. Multiple Schools at Wiltwyck Golf Club
Result: Owen Moore shot an 85, which qualifies him for the finals.
11 a.m.: Girls Varsity Golf Semis vs. Multiple Schools at Apple Greens Golf Course.
4:15 p.m.: Modified Baseball vs. Tri-Valley at Tri-Valley Central School
4:15 p.m.: Modified Softball vs. Tri-Valley at Tri-Valley Secondary School
5:30 p.m.: Varsity Softball vs. Beacon City at Liberty High School
Result: Beacon 13, Liberty 0 (5 innings) Beacon’s bats never cooled and right-hander Kat Ruffy was in complete command as the Beacon Bulldogs rolled to a 13-0 mercy-rule victory over Liberty on Tuesday, crashing the Redhawks’ Senior Night celebration in emphatic fashion. Before the first pitch, Liberty honored its five graduating seniors—Aubrey Botsford, Brenna Mangan, co-captain Megan Schmidt, Ashley Szuba and co-captain Cameryn Will—with flowers, framed pictures and speeches by their underclassmen teammates. The quintet will trade their cleats for college textbooks next fall, with Botsford and Mangan headed to SUNY Sullivan, Schmidt to Palm Beach State, Szuba pursuing cosmetology, and Will bound for Hartwick College. Once the ceremony ended, Beacon (6-11) wasted no time quieting the home crowd. The Bulldogs struck for two runs in the opening frame and scored in every inning, piling up 15 hits overall. Ruffy led the charge on both sides of the ball. The senior went 3-for-4 at the plate—including a ringing triple—drove in five runs and crossed the plate twice. In the circle, she fired a two-hit shutout, fanning seven and walking three over five brisk innings. Liberty’s lone bright spots came courtesy of its seniors. Will had an infield single in the second, and Mangan lined a base hit to left field in the fourth. Junior Angie Wheeler battled through traffic and defense miscues in the circle, yielding just three earned runs while striking out five. “It wasn’t the result we wanted, but I’m proud of how our seniors carried themselves,” Liberty head coach Dave Philips said. “They’ve made their mark on the program and shown growth as players, and more importantly, as teammates. They have set a standard for the younger girls to follow, and will be missed.”
Wednesday, May 21
3:30 p.m.: Girls Modified Track and Field Invitational vs. Multiple Schools at Goshen.
3:30 p.m.: Boys and Girls Varsity Track and Field Invitational vs. Multiple Schools at Sullivan West-Jeffersonville.
Results: The following members of the Varsity track team were top performers against nine other schools at the Donna Deppa Invitational at Sullivan West.
Sydania Foster won the girls Track MVP for the meet.
First place finishes were Brooke Bull in the pole vault, Sydania Foster in the 400m hurdles, Chris Rogers in the long jump, the girls 4×400 relay team (Eyanna, Starr, Brooke, Sydania), and the girls 4×800 relay team (Audrey, Adriana, Sandra, Casity)
Second place finishes were Chris in the 200m, Sydania in the 100m, Starr in the 100m hurdles, Mason W in the high jump, Mason S in triple jump, girls f/s SMR team (Eyanna, Starr, Adriana, Audrey) girls 4×100 relay team (Eyanna, Starr, Brooke, Sydania), boys f/s SMR team (Colin, Samuel, Peyton, Colten), boys 4×100 (Mason W, Anthony, Mason S, Chris) and boys 4×400 (Colin, Michael R, Colten, Samuel).
Third place finishes were Chris R in the 100m, Sandra H in the 400m hurdles, Adriana P in the 800m, Audrey K in the steeplechase and Ryan R in the 3,200m.
Thursday, May 22
All events postponed or canceled.
Friday, May 23
No events scheduled.
Saturday, May 24
No events scheduled.
Sunday, May 25
No events scheduled.
Retesting show lead levels in water below action level at Liberty schools
On May 2, Liberty Central School District completed follow up testing on 10 sinks that were found to have lead levels above action level during lead in water testing in April.
Following remediation, water from all 10 sinks was retested and all locations were found to have levels below the action level of 5 parts per billion.
More information and links to the full first and second round reports are available here.
Budget vote, BOE election, meetings set for May 20
The Annual Budget Vote and Election will be on Tuesday, May 20, with voting in the High School Media Center from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Information regarding the budget vote and election can be found at the Liberty CSD website.
The Board of Education will hold a Special Meeting at 6 p.m. May 20 in the District Office and they anticipate to enter into executive session immediately and to adjourn at its conclusion. There will be no other business and this meeting is not open to the public.
The Board of Education will convene a second Special Meeting after 8 p.m. in the HS Media Center at the conclusion of ballot counting in the High School Gymnasium to accept the results of the ballot. There will be no other business. This meeting and vote counting and tabulation is open to the public. The agendas will be available on Monday, May 19, at BoardDocs for both meetings.
The next regular Board of Education meeting will be on Tuesday, May 27, 2025.
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of May 12-18, 2025
Our student-athletes are in action this week in baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field.
Here are the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section IX website for the latest.
Monday, May 12
9 a.m.: Boys Varsity Championship vs. Multiple Schools at West Point Golf Course
2 p.m.: Girls Varsity Golf vs. Livingston Manor/Roscoe at Roscoe Mountain Club
4:30 p.m.: JV Baseball vs. Port Jervis at Port Jervis High School
Tuesday, May 13
3 p.m.: Varsity Baseball doubleheader vs. Beacon City at Liberty High School
4 p.m.: Boys Varsity Tennis vs. Monticello at Monticello High School
4:15 p.m.: Varsity Softball vs. Monticello at Monticello High School
Result: Monticello 19, Liberty 7. The Varsity took another tough loss; this time to Monticello. Monticello struck early, scoring seven runs in the first inning, and the Redhawks couldn’t overcome it, ultimately losing 19-7. Brenna Mangan had a good day at the plate as she had a double, walk and two RBI. Maddy Stewart also had a single and drove in two. Amy Szuba and Megan Schmidt also had hits while Cameryn Will scored twice in the loss.
4:15 p.m.: JV Baseball vs. S.S. Seward Institute at Liberty Middle School
Wednesday, May 14
4 p.m.: Boys and Girls Modified Track and Field vs. multiple schools at Tri-Valley Central School TV – Iatauro Sports Complex
Thursday, May 15
5 p.m.: Varsity Softball vs. Beacon City at Beacon High School
Friday, May 16
1 p.m.: Boys and Girls Varsity Track & Field vs. multiple schools at Warwick Valley High School.
4:30 p.m.: JV Baseball vs. Chester Academy at Maple Avenue School (Chester)
Saturday, May 17
9:30 a.m.: Boys and Girls Varsity Track and Field Championship vs. Multiple Schools at Warwick Valley High School
Sunday, May 18
No events scheduled.
Liberty names new high school principal
On Tuesday, May 6, the Liberty Central School Board appointed Liberty High School Assistant Principal Stephen Matuszak as LHS principal, effective July 1. He will replace Dr. Derek Adams, who was named assistant superintendent.
Mr. Matuszak has served as assistant principal at LHS since April 2020.
He grew up in the Binghamton, New York, area. He began his educational career as a substitute in the Maine-Endwell school district after earning a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a focus in social studies from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania.
Mr. Matuszak moved to Sullivan County in 2007 to take a seventh and eighth grade social studies teaching position at RJK Middle School in the Monticello Central School District, where he also was a coach. He was the school’s behavior specialist his final year. He also earned a master’s degree from the University of Scranton in curriculum development and design, and completed his certificate of advanced studies in educational leadership from SUNY New Paltz in 2019.
A Liberty resident, he is married and has two daughters.
LHS teacher arrested on charges of sharing child-related pornography
This evening, May 5, Liberty Central School District was informed of the arrest of a Liberty High School teacher on charges of sharing child-related pornography on social media. The district was made aware of the investigation on April 22, and the teacher was placed on immediate paid administrative leave by the district, pending further investigation.
It is not believed any Liberty student is involved. Counselors have been made available for students. The district is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Anyone with more information regarding this case is asked to contact state police in Liberty at 845-344-5300.
“The safety of our students is our top priority,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said. “We remind our students if they see or experience anything suspicious to report it to a trusted adult or through our Anonymous Alerts portal.”
Liberty PTA, LFA to host Meet the Candidates event
The Liberty Schools PTA and the Liberty Faculty Association will co-host a Meet the Candidates night for the Board of Education candidates at 6 p.m. Monday, May 12, in the Liberty High School Media Center.
The five candidates on the ballot have been invited to attend. The candidates, in the order in which they will appear on the ballot, are Miriam Rivka Singer, incumbents John L. Nichols and Timothy Hamblin, Miriam Heimlich and incumbent Matthew DeWitt. The top three vote-getters will serve three-year terms running July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2028.
The board election and budget vote will take place between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 20, at the LHS Media Center at 125 Buckley St. in Liberty.
For more information on the budget, visit the Liberty Central School District budget page.
Sports schedule, and results, for the week of May 5-11, 2025
Our student-athletes are in action this week in baseball, golf, softball, tennis and track and field.
Here are the schedule and results, if available. Livestream links are included where available.
The schedule is subject to change. Check the Liberty schedule on the Section IX website for the latest.
Monday, May 5
10 a.m.: Boys Varsity Golf vs. Multiple Schools at The Monster at Resort World Catskill.
Tuesday, May 6
4:15 p.m.: Varsity Baseball vs. Ellenville at Ellenville High School.
4:30 p.m.: Boys and Girls Varsity Track & Field vs. Multiple Schools at Tri-Valley Central School.
Wednesday, May 7
4:30 p.m.: Modified Baseball vs. Onteora at Davis Park
4:30 p.m.: Varsity Softball vs. James I. O’Neill at James I. O’Neill High School
Result: Liberty 6, James I. O’Neill 10. After two rainouts in a row, the Varsity traveled to James I. O’Neill High School to take on the Raiders. In a very competitive, back and forth game, Liberty ultimately was unable to withstand a final O’Neill rally, losing 10 to 6. The Redhawks’ bats were hot all day and were led by Angie Wheeler’s 2-3 performance. Angie had a double, single, RBI and two runs scored. Maddy Stewart had a single and two runs driven in. Megan Schmidt was robbed of two hits, but still finished with a single and run scored. Brenna Mangan, Ashley Szuba, Addison Bury and Giuliana Wagner also had a hit. The Redhawks defense was sharp as they turned two double plays on the day. Liberty is scheduled to next play Chester at home this Friday if the weather permits.
4:30 p.m.: Boys Varsity Tennis vs. Port Jervis at Liberty High School
Thursday, May 8
3:30 p.m.: JV Baseball vs. Fallsburg at Fallsburg Junior/Senior High School
4 p.m.: Boys and Girls Modified Track and Field vs. Multiple Schools at Sullivan West – Jeffersonville
4:15 p.m.: Modified Softball vs. Fallsburg at Liberty High School
Friday, May 9
All events postponed or canceled because of rain.
Saturday, May 10
No events scheduled.
Sunday, May 11
No events scheduled.