Board candidates, propositions are on KLSD ballot

By JEFF MORRIS 

The Katonah-Lewisboro School District’s annual budget vote and school board election is Tuesday, May 19, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Registered voters may vote on propositions placed on the ballot for the 2026-27 school year and on Board of Education members.

Post cards were mailed to all registered voters informing them of their polling location. Voters who did not receive a post card may confirm they are registered to vote at voterlookup.elections.ny.gov and may find their school polling location through the KLSD website, klschools.org. Note that the polling locations for school elections may differ from those for general elections.

Board candidates

There are three trustee seats on the May 19 ballot: two are full three-year terms (July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2029) and one will fill the remainder of an unexpired term that runs through June 30, 2028.

The candidates are Stacey Isaacson, Lorraine Gallagher, Bill Swertfager, Nancy Bachana, and Melissa Dilmaghani. Gallagher and Swertfager are currently trustees; Gallagher is board president. 

A candidates forum sponsored by the Katonah-Lewisboro Parent Council and The Recorder was held May 4. View it at http://bit.ly/42SpeGn.

2026-27 Budget

The proposed budget, appearing on the ballot as Proposition 1, was adopted by the Board of Education on March 26 and calls for $131,816,402 in spending, which is $4,405,933, or 3.46%, more than 2025-26.

The revenue from property tax will be $113,558,301, an increase of $4,067,878 or 3.72% from the current budget. Non-property tax revenue is expected to be $14,908,101, and $2,250,000 will be assigned from the fund balance, with another $1,100,000 allocated from committed reserves to help offset the tax levy. The budget remains at the allowed tax cap.

Proposition 2

This proposition authorizes the use of $2,500,000 from the district’s “2015 Renovations and Upgrades Capital Reserve,” which was approved by district voters on May 19, 2015, to construct “athletic, recreational and safety and security improvements to various district facilities and sites.” These include athletic infrastructure renovations and upgrades; improvements to the JJHS track, AP fields, and other facility upgrades; and improvements to safety and security systems, including exterior door replacements, ADA improvements and floor resurfacing.

Proposition 3

This proposition asks to issue bonds not to exceed $24.5 million to finance the construction of a universal pre-K and community center at the former Lewisboro Elementary School. That amount is to include the cost of roof replacements; interior reconstruction and space reconfiguration; façade improvements; HVAC and mechanical system upgrades and improvements; playground/field enhancements and parking and sidewalk improvements; and all furnishings, equipment, machinery, apparatus, and ancillary and related site, demolition and other work required.

The district says Gov. Kathy Hochul’s proposed state budget makes UPK mandatory for all districts, and increases state funding from $5,400 to $10,000 per child. 

“This grant-based funding would allow KLSD to serve all age-eligible children in the district,” says the proposal. It says while the state budget is still in negotiations, the UPK proposal is not one of the items under debate and is expected to pass as written. 

The project is also intended to turn LES into a shared community resource, with 10,000 square feet of space available for residents.

Critics of the proposal, led by Lewisboro Town Board member Richard Sklarin, claim the district has not fully explored alternatives. They have said that it is not needed, with sufficient room available in other district buildings; would serve only a small number of students; would compete with other local preschools; and that the planned community spaces are inadequate.

The district counters that KLSD does not currently have sufficient space in existing buildings to serve all eligible students, and that renovating those buildings for pre-K would be significantly more costly, disruptive, and require moving all fifth graders to the middle school. The district also says there are a limited number of seats available at other community-based providers, with families from out of district competing for those seats; and that it would cost $7.5 million to weatherize, mothball, and leave LES unused, or $3.5 million to demolish the building.

There is an extensive list of FAQs on the district website pre-K and community center page.