Gates Chili voters to decide $139.8 million budget, 14 new buses and three school board seats May 20

Gates Chili Central School District is asking voters to approve a $139,776,252 spending plan for the 2025–26 school year, authorization to purchase 14 replacement school buses, and creation of a capital reserve fund for future bus purchases, with ballots also choosing three members of the district’s Board of Education on Tuesday, May 20. "Proposition 1 is the proposed budget for the 2025–26 school year," a district spokesperson said at Florence Brasser Elementary School.

The district said the budget covers instruction, staffing, facilities and transportation and remains under the state-mandated tax cap. The spokesperson said the plan would produce an "approximate 0.65 percentage-point decrease to the tax rate for property owners in the towns of Gates and Chili." The budget document shows a total proposed spending plan of $139,776,252.

Proposition 2 would authorize the district to buy 14 new buses as part of a replacement schedule the district said runs every six years to maintain safety standards and trade-in value. "Replacing buses every 6 years ensures the highest safety standards and the best trade in value," the spokesperson said. The district also said that, because of expense-driven state aid, it is "reimbursed about 75% on every dollar spent," reducing the net cost to the district.

Proposition 3 would establish a capital reserve fund specifically for future bus purchases. The spokesperson described the reserve as "a savings account" that the district could use to reduce borrowing and interest costs rather than issuing bonds.

On the ballot are three open Board of Education seats with three-year terms running from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2028. The candidates still listed by the district are Tanya Serbanovsky, Andrea Mincella and Dr. Christine Brown Richards. The spokesperson said one candidate, Jamar Elliott, withdrew after ballots were printed and that "any votes for him will not be counted." The district said one candidate withdrew after ballots were printed.

The district said a budget newsletter will arrive in households this week and urged voters to participate. Polls are open Tuesday, May 20, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Spartan Field House at Florence Brasser Elementary School. "Come on out and vote," the district spokesperson said.

Voters seeking additional details were directed to the district’s budget materials and official communications for exact figures and explanations of how state aid and the tax cap affect local costs.