GUILDERLAND — On Tuesday, May 16, residents of the Guilderland Central School District approved a $98.5 million budget for the 2017-18 school year by a vote of 1963 to 663, and a proposition to establish a $10 million capital reserve fund by a vote of 1901 to 668.
Voters also approved a proposition to purchase seven large buses, two smaller buses, one wheelchair-accessible bus and two snow plowing vehicles, with 1944 in favor and 670 opposed.
In addition, GCSD residents elected three Board of Education members to three-year, unpaid terms beginning in July.
Due to the closeness of the race, the district delayed announcing the final results until all affidavit and write-in votes were verified and counted, said GCSD spokesperson Aubree Kammler.
Final results, which were announced on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 17, are as follows.
Two incumbent board members will retain their seats — Judy Slack, who has served on the board for nine years, received 1,321 votes and Christopher McManus, who will be serving his second term, received 1,146. New board member Timothy Horan, an elementary school teacher whose two sons graduated from Guilderland schools, received the most votes, 1,495. He will replace outgoing board member Allan Simpson, who received the least number of votes with 782. Candidate Sean Maguire, an economic development director with two small children in GCSD schools, lost narrowly, with 1,126 votes — just 20 fewer than McManus.
“While we certainly had some challenges along the way, I wouldn’t change a thing about how I approached this vote,” Maguire posted on his ‘Sean Maguire for Guilderland School Board’ Facebook page Tuesday night. “This was a real grassroots effort!”
