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Budget priorities divide candidates; UPK, arts and safety highlighted
Summary
At a Cornwall Central School District forum, candidates debated budget priorities including universal pre-K (UPK), arts funding and security spending. One incumbent said UPK should be "truly universal," while others flagged line items they said deserved review.
Candidates at a Cornwall Central School District forum debated the district budget and where additional funds should be directed if they became available.
Several candidates identified universal pre-K (UPK) and arts programming as funding priorities. "I wanna see UPK become truly universal," Richard Schaffner said, adding that he wants teachers to be "fairly compensated." Other candidates said they would like more investment in buildings and infrastructure to address aging facilities and space constraints.
Security spending also drew attention. One candidate said that, in an ideal world, security funding could be shifted to arts and programming, but added that current conditions make such reductions unrealistic. Another candidate criticized specific budget line items and said they voted no on the budget, calling for a rework to avoid raising the tax levy.
Why it matters: the board's annual budget affects tax levies, staffing, facilities and student programming. Candidates at the forum discussed the trade-offs between keeping taxes low and expanding services such as UPK and arts.
Clarifying details raised during the forum included candidates' concerns about conference and membership expenditures and a district line item labeled "districtmeetingcontractual" that one speaker said rose from $13,000 to $46,700. Candidates urged transparency in how budget items are categorized and explained.
The forum did not produce a formal budget vote; the board's budget process and any vote will occur in separate, public meetings and a scheduled budget forum the following evening.
Ending: Candidates encouraged voters to attend the scheduled budget forum and to vote in the upcoming election on the district's budget and board seats.
