School vote results:

Sullivan West & ECS budgets win

By TOM KANE and DAVID HULSE

SULLIVAN COUNTY — Voters in western Sullivan County voted on May 21 to decide school board elections and school budgets.

Sullivan West

Residents of the Sullivan West Central School District passed/rejected the $25.2 million budget for school year 2002-2003. The budget  was approved 802 to 781.

The budget called for a property increase of 9.9 percent.

Because the state legislature passed their long-awaited budget with an increase in state aid to schools, the legislature is considering allowing schools to spend the extra money, Johndrow said. This has never been allowed in the past.

In the school board elections, the winners were: Carol Nearing, Bill Erdman and Arthur Norden

Eldred

The Eldred Central School budget was approved by a 236 to 140 vote.

The budget’s projected 10-percent increase in the tax levy was driven by post-September 11 increases in insurance costs and anticipated cuts in state education aid, officials said. While last-minute increases to state aid approved in last week’s state budget deal were not included in tax impact estimates, those changes were not expected to impact general operating aid.

Board of Education newcomer Vincent Zike of Glen Spey was the sole candidate on the ballot. He polled 297 votes and will replace two-term incumbent Norman Sutherland, who chose not to run again.