Most Orange County school budgets pass, Goshen voters reject plan

Goshen voters turned down the district’s $101,050,451 spending plan 559 to 497, making Goshen the clear outlier in an Orange County budget cycle that saw most major districts pass their school budgets.

Newburgh, Port Jervis, Middletown, Valley Central, Warwick Valley Central and Florida all won approval, according to the county’s live results. Newburgh passed 1,355 to 1,046. Port Jervis passed 532 to 189. Middletown passed 786 to 273. Valley Central passed 739 to 455. Warwick Valley Central passed 1,261 to 386. Florida passed 140 to 73. Florida voters also approved a separate bus purchase question.

Goshen’s defeat came after the Board of Education adopted the proposed 2026-27 budget on April 22. The district said the plan represented a $4,225,486 increase, or 4.36%, and that the proposed tax levy increase stayed within New York’s tax cap, with a maximum allowable increase of 3.06%, about $1.7 million. To make the numbers work, Goshen said it would reduce staffing through attrition, including two elementary teachers and two teacher aides at Scotchtown Avenue Elementary School, one teaching assistant at C.J. Hooker Middle School and one high school social studies position after a teacher-on-assignment returned to the classroom.

The district also said it would discontinue its communications contract with Capital Region BOCES, trim spending on equipment and supplies, and consolidate four high school course sections because of lower enrollment. Goshen said those changes were not expected to affect student programming or class sizes, but voters still rejected the plan by 62 votes.

At the same time, residents approved a separate proposition to buy six school buses for $751,285, passing 581 to 472. In the Board of Education race, Roy Reese won the extended seat, which includes a three-year term plus service from May 20 through June 30 to fill the vacancy previously held by Ashley Salte, and John Sullivan was re-elected to a three-year term.

The district now faces a short deadline to regroup. Goshen scheduled a special Board of Education meeting for Tuesday, May 26, at 6:30 p.m. to review line items before a revote set for Tuesday, June 16. If voters reject the plan again, the district would have to adopt a contingent budget, which would hold the tax levy at the prior year’s level and leave Goshen with 0% levy growth. That would force a leaner operating plan for the 2026-27 school year, after a 2025-26 budget that had passed with a 2.8% levy increase and a total budget of $96,824,965.