Building a bright and promising future for our students and community

Dear Edgemont resident,
Next year’s school budget reflects our continued commitment to Edgemont’s outstanding education, operational excellence and responsible fiscal stewardship.

Our proposed budget continues innovation in education, including STEAM, digital fluency and other emerging technologies. These investments reflect our commitment to ensure students receive a well-rounded education that will enable them to meet the demands of an ever-changing world while working to advance our vision for the Profile of an Edgemont Graduate who is a critical thinker, creative problem solver and an informed and responsible citizen of the world.

Equally important, this budget advances our focus on accountability and continuous improvement through the implementation of systems that promote data-driven practices. These structures allow us to evaluate the impact of our programs, align spending with measurable outcomes and ensure that every dollar is contributing to student success.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our schools. We look forward to seeing you at the polls on Tuesday, May 19.

Sincerely,
The Board of Education

Grace Lin, President; Heather Stern, Vice President; Jennifer DeMarrais, Trustee; Elyse Paidas, Trustee; Ami Patel Song, Trustee; Josefine Teneback Cays, Trustee; Mark Fleischhauer, Trustee

Dr. Kenneth R. Hamilton, Superintendent of Schools

Proposed Budget. ................. $77,409,438
Budget-to-Budget Increase. ........... 4.62%
Proposed Tax Levy............... $64,229,035*
Tax Levy-to-Levy Increase. ............... 3.50%

* The proposed tax levy is approximately $2.5 million lower than the maximum allowable levy permitted under New York State Property Tax Law. To achieve this, the proposed budget includes a planned appropriation of $2.8 million from existing fund balance to reduce the taxpayer impact.

• Advancing a cohesive K–12 STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) program, including funding for two dedicated elementary STEAM teachers and expanded learning opportunities in newly constructed STEAM spaces funded through the 2024 Building Dreams Bond.
• Investing in what we teach and how we support teachers in teaching it well, through targeted investments in literacy (Science of Reading), mathematics, high-quality instructional materials and aligned professional development.
• Maintaining district facilities and advancing projects associated with the 2024 Building Dreams Bond. These long-term investments are supported through planned debt service, ensuring our schools remain safe, functional and aligned with the district’s multi-year facilities plan.

#1: 2026–27 School Budget. The first proposition on the ballot is the district’s operating budget for the 2026–27 school year. The proposed budget supports Edgemont’s outstanding educational program while being fiscally responsible. The budget is below the New York State tax levy cap. 

Propositions 2 and 3 both pertain to the use of and the establishment of capital reserves. Neither would have any impact on taxes and no additional debt would be incurred.  

#2: The second proposition pertains to capital reserves. It seeks voter authorization for the expenditure of funds not to exceed $3.25 million from the existing 2023 capital reserve fund for the purpose of addressing targeted capital improvements that were identified in our 5-year facility plan. These include Greenville’s roof replacement, the playground replacement at Seely Place, and the repair and replacement of gym bleachers, the gym floors and stair nosing, as well as the replacement of air-handling units in the gymnasiums at EHS. 

#3: The third proposition seeks voter authorization to establish an additional capital reserve, not to exceed $7.5 million, with the option to fund the reserve by no more than $2.5 million per year until the limit is reached. Creating this additional reserve provides the district with the flexibility to allocate surplus funds generated at year's end this year or in other years to support our five-year facility plan.
 

The 4.62% proposed increase is largely the result of new debt service obligation in excess of $2.5 million tied to the 2025 Building Dreams Capital Bond.

The district’s annual debt service for the 2026–27 school year is projected to increase by $2.6 million from the current year. This increase is primarily attributable to the issuance of approximately $32 million in bonds to support the Building Dreams Capital Bond projects, which are now actively underway across the district.

The increase in debt service accounts for approximately 76% of the overall budget-to-budget increase. For additional information and ongoing updates regarding the 2024 Capital Bond, visit edgemont.org/bond

Voter Qualifications
An individual must:

• Be a U.S. citizen, 18 years of age or older.
• Have been a resident of the school district for 30 days preceding the day of the vote.
• Be registered to vote with either the school district’s board of registration or the Westchester County Board of Elections.

If you have previously registered to vote but have not voted in either a school district or general election in the past four years, you must re-register to vote. If needed, contact Jennifer Masci, District Clerk, at jmasci@edgemont.org | (914) 472-7768 to verify your registration status.

Requesting Absentee & Early Mail Ballots
Applications for absentee and early mail ballots may be obtained from the District Clerk during school business hours through the day before the election. Ballots will be issued in person during this period. All absentee and early mail ballots must be received in the Central Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2026. Ballots received after this time cannot be accepted, regardless of postmark. A patient in a hospital or who is unable to vote because of illness or physical disability.

Additional Information
For additional information, please contact Jennifer Masci, District Clerk, at jmasci@edgemont.org | (914) 472-7768. The District Office is located at 300 White Oak Lane, Scarsdale, NY 10583