Newburgh schools budget, library budget pass in final vote count

Newburgh voters approved a $394.1 million school budget and a $5.996 million library levy, giving the district a clear but measured endorsement of next year’s spending plan while keeping the tax levy flat.

The final canvass, completed after 13 affidavit ballots were counted, confirmed that the Newburgh Enlarged City School District budget passed 1,385 to 1,056 and the Newburgh Free Library budget passed 1,789 to 624. Those margins showed stronger support for the library proposition than for the school plan, but both measures cleared comfortably enough to keep district staffing, programming and operations on track for the 2026-27 school year.

For households, the most immediate takeaway is that the board’s April 7 budget plan survives intact. Officials said the spending plan is about $14.8 million, or 3.9%, above the current year’s $379.3 million budget. It holds the tax levy flat, relies on additional state aid, adds 16 positions and eliminates 37 vacant ones. That means no added levy burden for property owners while the district moves ahead with staffing changes that could affect class sizes, course offerings and support services next year.

The vote also settled the Board of Education race in favor of the incumbents. Philip Howard led with 1,309 votes, Letitia McDaniels-Politi had 1,281 and Ramiro Burgarelli received 1,226. Two former board members, Deborah Bouley and Victoria Bousche, tied closely behind them with 1,205 votes apiece. Jerry Ryan Lamar, who was not on the ballot this year, still drew more than 500 write-in votes, a sign that voters remained engaged even beyond the named field.

Turnout reached 2,548 voters, about 400 fewer than in 2025. That drop suggests the district still drew a solid base of participation, but not the level of urgency that might signal a broad mobilization. The final count points to a community that backed the district’s direction without overwhelming enthusiasm, favoring continuity on the board and approval of the spending plan.

The race had been shaped earlier in the spring by a May 6 candidate forum hosted by the City of Newburgh Democratic Committee, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Working Families Party, Newburgh Alliance and Nu Voters. At that forum, candidates discussed literacy, math scores, student safety, transparency, family engagement and the district’s coming Career and Technical Education building.

Howard, a retired firefighter who has served since 2012, Politi, a district teacher first elected in 2023, and Burgarelli, a retired New York City police officer elected in 2023, will now continue steering a budget that balances added positions with a flat levy. For Newburgh families, the vote means the district enters next school year with funding, staffing and library support settled, and with the current board majority intact.