2026-2027 Budget Vote/Board of Education Election

Budget Vote / Election Information
The 2026-2027 Budget Vote and Election of Three (3) members of the Board of Education for the period of July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029 will take place on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, between the hours of 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The polling place is in the Eastchester Middle School Gym.

Voter Qualifications

• U. S. Citizen
• At least 18 years old
• A resident of the District for at least 30 days immediately preceding the election/vote
• If a voter is not qualified to register for or vote in a general election under the Election Law (e.g. certain felons), not a qualified voter
• In districts with personal registration of voters, registration with the County Board of Elections or with the School District

Registration Information*
You may register any weekday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. at the District Clerk’s Office, located in the District Office, 500 Farm Road.  The last date to register for the Budget Vote/Annual Election is May 14th until 5:00pm.

*Anyone registered with the County Board of Elections who resides within the School District is automatically registered to vote in school elections/budget votes.

Board Candidate Packets Available
School Board Candidate Petition Packets may be obtained from the District Clerk at the District Office during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.).  Completed nominating petitions (must be original) require at least 25 signatures of qualified voters and must be submitted to the District Clerk no later than Monday, April 20th, at 5:00 p.m.

Legal Qualifications for Board Candidates
To qualify for membership on the school board an individual:

• Must be able to read and write.
• Must be a qualified voter of the District; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age or older, and not adjudged to be an incompetent. 
  (Note:  a convicted felon is barred from running for a seat on a school board if his or her maximum prison sentence has not expired or if he or she has not been pardoned or discharged from parole.)
• Must be and have been a resident (but need not be a taxpayer) of the district for a continuous and uninterrupted period of at least one year immediately before the election.
• May not have been removed from any school district office within the preceding year.
• May not reside with another member of the same school board as a member of the same family.
• May not be a current employee of the school board.
• May not simultaneously hold another incompatible public office.

Candidates' Workshop
The Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association Workshop for Prospective School Board Members will be held on Thursday, April 9th, 2026, via Zoom, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  Candidates should register directly with WPSBA.  To register, visit their website www.wpsba.org.  Please register by April 6th.  For questions, email info@wpsba.org or call 914-345-8737. 

 

Absentee Ballots and Early Mail Ballots
Applications for Absentee Ballots and Early Mail Ballots are available at the District Clerk’s Office at the District Office during normal business hours (8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.) or by downloading the applications.  The applications should be submitted in original form, with the original signature on it.  It must be submitted no earlier than thirty days (30) days and no later than seven (7) days before the Annual Election (by May 12, 2026), if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter and no later than May 18, 2026, if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter.  The Absentee Ballot and Early Mail Ballot must be received by the District Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on the day of the vote/election in order to be counted.

Application for absentee Ballot - English version
Application for absentee Ballot - Spanish version

What is a tax levy? And how is it different from a tax rate?

A tax rate denotes the percentage used to determine how much property tax a resident will pay during a fiscal year. A tax levy represents the total amount of funds that a school district or local government may collect on that tax rate.

 

 

Who created this tax levy?

To learn more about the NYS Property Tax Cap, click here. On June 24, 2011 the property tax cap was signed into law. 

 

What is the property tax cap?   

The tax cap law establishes a limit on the annual growth of property taxes levied by local governments and school districts to two percent or the rate of inflation, whichever is less.    

 

Who is subject to the tax cap?  

The cap applies to all independent school districts outside of the Big Five Cities (i.e. dependent school districts) and to all local governments including counties, cities, towns, villages and special districts (except those special districts noted below).  The cap does not apply to New York City.  

 

 Are there exceptions to the tax cap?  

There are limited, narrow exclusions to the cap, including certain costs of significant judgments arising out of tort actions and unusually large year-to-year increases in pension contribution rates.  

 

Is there an override mechanism to the tax cap?  

The tax levy cannot exceed the cap unless 60 percent of voters (for school districts) or 60 percent of the total voting power of the governing body (for local governments) approve such increase.   

 

When is the tax cap effective? 

The cap first applies to local fiscal years beginning in 2012.  Local budgets that commenced in 2011 but conclude in 2012 are not affected.   

 

What does it mean when people say the tax cap is 'artificially low'?

Artificially low tax levies occur when abatements, caps and policy decisions lead to tax assessments coming in below market value. As a result, school districts can often suffer greatly when tax rates do not keep up with inflation and other budget drivers.

When the cost of educating a pupil and inflation continues to rise, a static 2% tax cap can act as an artificial representation of what districts really need to educate their students and operate their budget. Actual costs often do not mirror costs that are kept low by caps that do not accurately represent true costs.

 

What does it mean to invest in a school district or invest in the future?

Investment in a school district generally leads to an enhancement of the level of education students in a district receive. Improved student outcomes often impact a community’s overall financial health, serving to raise property values and boost the local economy. Investing in a school district means to watch programs grow and student outcomes increase and get better over time. Planting a seed and watching it grow throughout a student’s K-12 academic journey is an investment for the future.

The Eastchester Schools have shown tremendous growth and achievement in the last 5 years. With the expansion of course offerings; increased field experiences; fortified counseling and social emotional teams/curriculum; additional modified and freshman athletic teams; extensive facilities upgrades; district wide technology upgrades in all classrooms, labs, libraries and other learning spaces; increased arts in education experiences; increases academic achievement in Literacy and Mathematics as reflected in regents outcomes and standardized testing scores; two schools with US News Best Schools designations; elevated college admission practices and outcomes; etc.

 

What have the Eastchester Schools done in the last three years that sets it apart from The Eastchester Schools, I know from when I went to school?

Over the last three years, the EUFSD has invested in several vital areas, including school safety and student performance and experience. In this time, the district has improved school security by partnering with the town of Eastchester and the Eastchester Police Department to station School Resource Officers at each school campus. Furthermore, renovations to school entrance areas—including strengthened security booths and  ensuring that only students, faculty, staff and those with business in our schools are allowed into our buildings. 

The district has also made tremendous strides in terms of instructional technology, as our efforts have allowed students in grades K-12 to benefit from greater access to technology both in and out of the classroom.  

Click here to see presentations from EHS, the technology department, curriculum & instruction, and the special education department.

 

How come we have to go over the tax levy this year if we’ve not had to do that in the last 10 years?

Over the last several years, the EUFSD has sought to balance its responsibilities to both students and community members without putting undue strain on taxpayers. 

However, budget drivers, including transportation and energy costs, have risen substantially due to inflation. This inflation—combined with the loss of roughly $1 million in state aid—necessitates that the district must surpass the tax levy cap in order to ensure that our schools continue to provide the high level of service to our students that our families and community members have come to expect.

 

What is FLES?

FLES stands for Foreign Language in Elementary Schools and provides students early exposure to world languages such as Spanish and French. 

In the past, Eastchester students have officially begun their world language education as middle schoolers. Over the last several years, however, the EUFSD has begun to introduce students to global languages earlier in their academic journeys, beginning with the launch of FLES at Waverly in the 2023-24 school year. 

Since then, FLES instruction has been expanded to serve students in grades K-5. 

 

Will we have Mandarin as a foreign language in the Eastchester Schools?

There has been strong support to include Mandarin as a foreign language offering in the Eastchester Schools. We are reviewing how we might be able to accomplish the addition of another language offering at EMS and EHS. However, we will not be offering Mandarin at this time.

 

Why is it necessary to go to a 3-tier bus model?

EUFSD currently has a fleet of 18 large yellow school buses. Based on ridership data and an indepth route analysis conducted by our bus company and the district transportation coordinator, the EUFSD can reduce the fleet by 4 large yellow buses while maintaining the distance and duration students spend on a bus to get to and from school. The three (3) tier model has a potential savings of up to $400,000. Click here to see the full transportation presentation.

 

This page will be updated as we receive more questions from the community.

I hope you are all off to a great weekend! 

This past Tuesday, I presented the Board of Education with the 2026–2027 Proposed Superintendent's Budget.   As the  budget process moves forward, we will continue to focus on the detailed work of refining the proposed budget in preparation for its adoption on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

The budget process involves many stakeholders and begins in the fall. The final couple of months are dedicated to many workshops and ongoing discussions that help us ensure our district continues to move programs forward, at a desirable level, while finding efficiencies across all departments and lines. 

On March 18, the Board held a joint Budget Retreat with district administrators to carefully review priorities and identify every possible efficiency at the building level. On April 7, initial questions and wonderings by the Board of Education were explored. And, as recently as April 10, Board trustees and cabinet team administrators engaged in deeper discussion on really weighing our priorities and vision as a district—once again exploring areas where we can find savings, delay in implementation, or eliminate/do without. 

With input from the district administrative team, the Governance Team—composed of BOE Trustees and the Superintendent—shares the collective goal of presenting a fiscally responsive, forward-thinking budget that is dedicated to the advancement and elevation of our district. In short, we are committed to investing in our district long-term.

At the upcoming Board meeting scheduled for Tuesday, April 21, 2026, an updated and refined budget based on the work collectively achieved in meetings and work sessions leading up to now, will be presented once again to the public.

In addition, throughout this month and May, leading up to voting day, I will be presenting at the following public PTA meetings to share more information about the budget and highlight the growing accomplishments of our schools. I hope that our community will join an upcoming meeting to learn more about our goals and priorities for the upcoming 2026-2027 school year.

Community members can also visit the district’s main budget website by clicking this link to view any presentations leading up to April 21. As more information is provided, it will be updated on this site.

It has been an absolute pleasure getting to know Eastchester as a community over these last several months, as I have seen first-hand the dedication and commitment to excellence that is clear throughout our entire district. It is an immense privilege to be your superintendent. Highlighting the good work in our schools and watching our students shine academically, in the athletic arena, on the stage, and out in the world, is truly a source of pride. 

When you attend Eastchester Schools, it's true...you are getting a top-notch education.

Sincerely, 

Dr. Villanueva