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District

2026 - 2027 Budget and Election

Newfane Central School District

2026-27 School Budget Vote & Board Election

The annual school district meeting and election,

for the purposes of voting on the budget for the 2026-27 school year

and electing two members to the Board of Education, will be held on

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

 from 12 pm to 8 pm at Newfane Elementary School

School Board Candidate Info

Information from New York State School Boards Association (NYSSBA):

 

RUNNING FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD, What all prospective school board members should know

 

The School Board Member Experience

 

Members of the Newfane Board of Education are elected to three (3) year, unpaid term.  The Board of Education consists of seven (7) voting members and an Ex Officio Student non-voting member. 

 

Number of Seats Available:

There will be two seats available for the Board of Education.  The terms of current Board of Education members, Melinda Bower and Santo Tomasine, will expire on June 30, 2026.

 

Length of Term:

Candidates will be elected to a 3-year term beginning on July 1, 2026 and ending on June 30, 2029.

 

Qualifications for School Board Membership:

  • Must be able to read and write
  • Must be a qualified voter in the school district; that is, a citizen of the United States, at least 18 years of age, and who is not otherwise prohibited from voting under the provisions of Section 5-106 of the Election Law (not adjudged to be incompetent).
  • Must be and have been a resident 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

Nominating Petition for School Board Candidates:

Each candidate for Member of the Board of Education will be required to submit a Petition for Nomination of a Candidate for Member of the Board of Education of the Newfane Central School District. Nominating petitions must contain the names of qualified district voters and be signed by two percent (2%) of the number of voters in the last annual election or 25, whichever is greater. A minimum of twenty-five (25) signatures are required for this upcoming election.  Candidates should consider obtaining more than the minimum number of signatures required in the event that a signature(s) are invalidated.

 

Candidate Name Placement on the Ballot:

Following the last day for filing, on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, at 10 a.m., in the District Office, there will be a drawing by lot conducted by the District Clerk for candidate name placement on the ballot.  Candidates are welcomed to be present and witness the drawing.  All candidates will be notified of the results in writing.

 

Mandated Trainings for Newly Elected Board of Education Members:

New York State law requires newly-elected school board members to take mandatory training within their first year of service. This training requires topics on the essentials of school board governance and a minimum of six hours in fiscal oversight, accountability and fiduciary responsibilities of a school board member.

HOW TO OBTAIN A SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE PACKET AND NOMINATING PETITION:

 

Candidate Packets and Nominating Petitions will be available beginning on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

 

  • Visit the District Clerk’s office in the Newfane Early Childhood Center (Room 223) between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.  During school hours, visitors must enter the building at the Newfane Middle School entrance on Transit Road and check in at the Main Office.  Please be prepared to show government issued identification (driver’s license).

   

A qualified voter is one who is:

  • A citizen of the United States,
  • At least 18 years of age, 
  • A resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the date of the vote, and 
  • Not otherwise prohibited from voting under section 5-106 of the Election Law.

You do not need to be

a registered voter to be a qualified voter.

 

                IMPORTANT DATES

 

3/5/2026

School Board Candidate packets, including Nominating Petitions, are available from the District Clerk

4/20/2026

by 5 p.m.

Nominating Petitions due to the District Clerk between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. weekdays but not later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026

4/21/2026 at 10 a.m.

Candidate name draw for name placement on the ballot

5/19/2026

12-8 p.m.

2026-27 Budget Vote & Board Election

Budget Documents

  • Results of May 20, 2025 Budget Vote and Board Election:

    Proposition 1 2025-2026 BUDGET:   

      PASSED    X                            DEFEATED     □

    Number of Votes:          YES____258__          NO___116____

    Proposition 2 – Newfane Public Library

    PASSED    X                   DEFEATED     □

    Number of Votes:             YES___275__             NO__101____

    Library CANDIDATES FOR THE NEWFANE PUBLIC LIBRARY

     (3)

              174         Janet Morrow
               254        Connie Kyle
               206        Laurie Hall
               190        Ellen Bitner

    SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATES:  Three for a three-year term

    Number of Votes:         289              Rob Dunn                         

                                       271             Michael MacEvoy

          281             Anthony Casinelli

  • Click here for a pdf of the 2024-25 Fund Balance and Reserve Plan:  2024-25 Reserve Plan

  • Click here for a pdf of the public budget documentation adopted by the BOE on April 16, 2024:  Public Budget Document

  • PROPOSITION NUMBER 1      2024-2025 BUDGET

    Shall the budget of the Newfane Central School District (the “District”), Niagara County, New York, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2024 and ending June 30, 2025, in the amount of $40,194,191.00, as presented by the Board of Education, is hereby approved and adopted and the required funds therefore shall be hereby appropriated and the necessary real property taxes required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in said District to be levied and collected as required by law.

                TOTAL

    YES                  348                                                     

    NO                   147

    BOARD ELECTION – Two for a 3 year term, One for a 1 year term

    CANDIDATE     TOTAL:

    Rachel Maziarz           334

    Corrie Murray             391

    Anthony Casinelli        301

    Emma Oudette            257

    BOARD ELECTION – WRITE-IN VOTES

    Write ins did not affect the outcome of the vote and are attached to this resolution.

  • Click here for a pdf of the 2023-24 Fund Balance and Reserve Plan:  2023-24 Reserve Plan

  • Click here for a pdf of the public budget documentation adopted by the BOE on April 18, 2023:  Public Budget Document

  • PROPOSITION NUMBER 1      2023-2024 BUDGET

    Shall the budget of the Newfane Central School District (the “District”), Niagara County, New York, for the fiscal year commencing July 1, 2023 and ending June 30, 2024, in the amount of $39,792,133, as presented by the Board of Education, is hereby approved and adopted and the required funds therefore shall be hereby appropriated and the necessary real property taxes required shall be raised by a tax on the taxable property in said District to be levied and collected as required by law.

                TOTAL:

    YES                  406                                                     

    NO                   207

    PROPOSITION NUMBER 2      ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW CAPITAL IMPORVEMENTS RESERVE FUND, 2023

    RESOLVED, that the Board of Education (the “Board”) of the Newfane Central School District, Niagara County, New York (the “District”) is hereby authorized to establish a capital improvements reserve fund pursuant to Section 3651 of the Education Law of the State of New York (the “Fund”); that the Fund shall be known as the “Capital Improvements Reserve Fund, 2023” of the District; that the Fund shall be established for the purpose of financing, in whole or in part, the acquisition, construction, reconstruction, expansion, renovation, alteration and improvement of buildings, facilities, sites and real property by the District, or the District’s share of the cost of any capital improvements project undertaken by a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (“BOCES”) of which the District is (or may become) a component district, including, in all cases, the acquisition of necessary furnishings, equipment, machinery and apparatus; that the ultimate amount of the Fund shall be not greater than $5,000,000 (plus interest earned thereon); that the probable term of the Fund shall be not longer than ten (10) years; and that the permissible sources from which the Board is authorized to appropriate monies to the Fund from time to time shall be (A) budgetary appropriations of the District; (B) unappropriated fund balance of the District; (C) State aid received as reimbursement for expenditures by the District in connection with District capital improvements (whether or not such improvements were financed in whole or in part from the Fund); (D) proceeds from the sale of unneeded real or personal property owned by the District; (E) one or more other reserve funds of the District; and/or (F) such other sources as the Board or the voters of the District may direct from time to time, all as may be permitted by law.

                TOTAL:

    YES                  423                                                     

    NO                   187

    BOARD ELECTION – Two, for a 3 year term

    CANDIDATE     TOTAL:

    Santo Tomasine          339

    Melinda Bower           280

    Emma Oudette            251

    Cameron Seib              267

    BOARD ELECTION – WRITE-IN VOTES

    Write ins did not affect the outcome of the vote.

  • Click here for a pdf of the 2022-23 Fund Balance and Reserve Plan:  2022-23 Reserve Plan

  • Click here for a pdf of the public budget documentation adopted by the BOE on April 19, 2022:  Public Budget Document