By WILLIAM J. KEMBLE
Correspondent

NEW PALTZ, N.Y. — School district Superintendent Maria Rice says a smaller spending plan will be put before voters in the wake of a $50.3 million budget proposal for 2012-13 falling just 18 votes short of the “supermajority” needed for approval.

The budget needed “yes” votes from 60 percent of the people casting ballots on Tuesday because it called for a larger tax levy increase  (4.4 percent) than allowed by the state. The vote was 1,726-1,180 in favor the budget, a margin of 59.4 to 40.6 percent. Eighteen more “yes” votes out of the 2,906 cast would have resulted in a 60-40 result.

Under state law, the New Paltz school board now must either adopt a budget that keeps the tax levy at the 2011-12 level or set another public vote for next month.

“It’s very difficult because this is a community that has always (supported the budget), and ... the showing that we had continues to show that they support the education and opportunities for our students,” Rice said on Wednesday. “So to have to have a supermajority and to have the minority make the decision just doesn’t make sense to me.”

Rice expects the school board to accept a revised budget later this month that will need only a simple majority. For that to happen, the budget must call for a tax levy increase of no more than 3.4 percent.

To do that, the board will need to agree on a budget that reduces spending by 1.33 percent from the 2011-12 level. The plan that failed on Tuesday cut spending by 0.34 percent.

Rice said the decision to put a budget before voters on Tuesday that included an over-the-limit tax levy was based on past public support of New Paltz budgets.

“Last year, we had 63 percent vote ‘yes,’ and the year before we had 59 percent of our taxpayers vote ‘yes,’” she said. “It’s consistent with what we’ve always done.”

Elected to three-year seats on the New Paltz Board of Education on Tuesday were Dominick Profaci, with 1,776 votes; Ruth Quinn, with 1,641, and Brian Cournoyer, with 1,497.

Out of the running were Tanya Marquette (961), Marvin Birnbaum (575) and Julie Tresco (568). Continued...

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Voters approved, by a tally of 1,426-1,373, a proposition to spend $339,000 to buy a 65-passenger bus and four 20-passenger buses.

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