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Brighton board candidates largely back proposed budget as district outlines a $3 million gap
Summary
At the Brighton Central School District PTSA Meet the Candidates night, most candidates supported the proposed 2026 budget while emphasizing program preservation, teacher retention and the need for clearer state funding; one candidate opposed the tax increase. Voters decide May 19.
Meet the Candidates Night on the Brighton Central School District stage turned quickly to money: candidates spent much of the evening defending, explaining or questioning the district’s proposed budget and its trade-offs ahead of the May 19 vote.
Incumbent board member Sue Gasparino, a pediatrician seeking a third term, said the district faces “really a $3 million gap,” noting “the total increases this year is really $5 million, but as a district we only have $2 million in new revenue. And so that creates a real-time $3 million gap,” and that the draft budget aims to protect programs and staff while trimming targeted items. Gasparino said the board reduced an earlier 7.93% tax proposal to about 3.89% by using reserves and careful cuts.
Several other candidates echoed the same priority of sustaining classroom programs and retaining staff. Sarah Schlaggman, a former special education teacher and parent, said she supports the proposed budget because of the harms she has seen when budgets fail: “Not having the support staff… it really impacted everybody from the teachers to the kids.” Jeff Saxs, a parent and candidate, called the possible consequences of a failed budget “catastrophic,” saying layoffs would hit core programs and employees.
Dr. Robert Cole and incumbent Carrie Lynn Bertino also said they back the proposal, stressing that program evaluations and priorities should guide any cuts. Bertino described a “fine-tooth-comb” approach to reduce the earlier proposal to a roughly 3.89% tax increase and said the board tried to minimize direct impact on teaching positions by covering some openings through attrition.
Dr. Richard Crowy was the lone candidate to say he does not support the tax increase. Crowy said residents face rising housing and living costs and urged the board to find further efficiencies: “There has to be a point…we need to look at the budget with a fine-tooth comb and find more.”
Candidates broadly agreed on the district’s top challenges in coming years: sustaining mental-health and specialized supports added in recent years, coping with rising costs for salaries and benefits, recruiting substitutes and teachers, and preparing students for changes in technology and curriculum. Several called for advocacy to the legislature about foundation aid and the tax-cap formula that candidates said constrains districts’ revenue options.
The moderator and PTSA organizers reminded viewers that the district’s budget and the three board seats are on the ballot on Tuesday, May 19. Stephanie Bush (Brighton PTSA president) closed the event with voting logistics: the administration building at 2035 Monroe Avenue, gym door No. 4, open 7:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Next step: voters will decide on the budget and board seats on May 19; the candidates said they would continue outreach and answer community questions in forums and meetings between now and then.
