Budget

Michael Brennan, District Business Manager
E-mail: mbrennan@ichabodcrane.org
Phone: 518-758-7575, Ext. 3009

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2026-27 School Budget Vote and Board of Education Election

District leadership is currently developing the proposed budget for the 2026–27 school year. Our goal is to maintain the strong academic programs our community values, to continue to support essential K-12 social-emotional learning services for students and to do this in the most cost effective way possible.

As in previous years, this will be a collaborative process, guided by our Instructional Program Vision (available in English and Spanish on our website). We kicked off the budget development process with a community-wide survey to gather input on priorities for the coming year and to inform our long-term planning. 

As always, we will consistently seek feedback from staff, students, families and district residents as we move toward the 2026-27 Budget Proposal, which will be presented to the Board of Education at the April 21 meeting.

Important Dates and Voting Information
The Budget Vote and Board of Education Election will take place on May 19, 2026. Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the High School Gymnasium.

Board of Education Vacancies
Petitions are now available for candidates interested in running for the Board of Education. There are three seats open for three-year terms, as the terms of Max DiOrio, Kelly Firmbach and Christopher Scoville expire on June 30, 2026.

  • Obtaining Petitions: Petitions can be obtained from District Clerk Mindy Potts in the Central Office (located in the High School, 2910 Route 9, Valatie).
  • Deadline: Completed petitions must be returned to the District Clerk by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 20, 2026.

For more information on the Board of Education, please visit the dedicated page on our website.

Information about voting eligibility, registration, absentee and early mail ballots are located at the bottom of the webpage. 

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Presentations

2025-26 School Year Budget

District residents approved the 2025-26 budget for the Ichabod Crane Central School District by a vote of 572 to 272 on May 20.

The 2025-26 budget of $51,143,999 equates to a $956,986 (1.91%) increase from this year’s adopted budget – and an estimated tax levy increase of 3.11 percent. Residents also approved the proposition to purchase four buses (556 to 287 votes).

Additionally, three residents were re-elected to three-year terms on the Board of Education – Elizabeth Phillips, Matthew Nelson and Meghan Lafferty-Brown (621, 586, 611 votes, respectively).

Presentations

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Budget Documents:

Voting for the Ichabod Crane School Budget

If contacting the district with voter registration or absentee ballot questions, please reach out to Mindy Potts (District Clerk) at 518-758-7575, Ext. 3001 or via email mpotts@ichabodcrane.org

Voting Location
In-person voting takes place in the Ichabod Crane High School Gym annually on the third Tuesday in May from 8:00 AM – 9:00 PM. The next budget vote and election will be on May 20, 2025.

Voter Eligibility
You are eligible to vote if you are a U.S. citizen, 18 years old or older and a resident of the school district for at least 30 days prior to the vote.

Voter Registration
You must be registered before you are permitted to vote. You are already registered if you have:

Individuals may register to vote with the District Clerk from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days at the office of the District Clerk in the Central Office of the School District. An individual must be registered at least five days preceding an election in order to vote in that election.

Absentee Ballots, Early Mail Voting & Military Absentee Ballots
Any residents who will be out of town or unable to vote in person because of illness or disability may request an absentee ballot using an absentee ballot application. Applications for absentee ballots are obtainable from the District Clerk at the Central Office (2910 U.S. 9 – Valatie, NY) between the hours of 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

Download the Absentee Ballot Application here. 

The District Clerk must receive completed absentee ballot applications at least 7 days before the election (May 12, 2026) if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election (May 18, 2026) if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. The District Clerk must receive completed absentee ballots no later than 5:00 PM, prevailing time, on May 19, 2026.

In 2024, new laws allow district residents to vote early by mail before the election.

Any resident who wishes to vote early may request an early mail ballot using an early mail voter ballot application. Applications for absentee ballots are obtainable from the District Clerk at the Central Office (2910 U.S. 9 – Valatie, NY) between the hours of 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM.

Download the Early Mail Ballot Application here.

The District Clerk must receive completed early mail ballot applications at least 7 days before the election (May 12, 2026) if the ballot is to be mailed to the voter, or the day before the election (May 18, 2026) if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the voter. The District Clerk must receive completed early mail ballots no later than 5:00 PM, prevailing time, on May 19, 2026.

To request a Military Absentee Ballot, please directly contact the District Clerk at MPotts@IchabodCrane.org or 518-758-7575, Ext. 3001.