ITHACA, NY (WHCU) — The Ithaca City School District will hold a public hearing tonight on next week’s budget re-vote. 

Residents are invited to participate in a discussion about the new spending plan. Ithaca was one of two school districts in Tompkins County, along with Newfield, whose school budget was rejected last month by voters. 

On June 18, voters in the district will see two propositions on the ballot:

Proposition No. 1 Proposed 2024-25 Budget
Shall the Board of Education of the Ithaca City School District, City of Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York, be authorized to expend $163,012,098 to meet the District’s estimated expenditures during the 2024-2025 school year, and to levy the necessary tax therefor?

Proposition No. 2 Appropriation and Expenditure of Capital Reserve Funds
Shall the Board of Education of the Ithaca City School District (the “District”) be authorized to appropriate funds from the District’s “2022 Capital Reserve Fund” in the maximum amount of $1,600,000 and to expend these combined funds for the following purposes: 1) Purchase of up to two (2) electric buses, only with rebates to defray costs; 2) Purchase of up to two (2) ultra-low emission propane buses for long range travel that includes wheelchair-accessible lifts; and 3) Purchase of up to three (3) passenger vehicles to transport students and support student programming, including but not limited to Drivers Education, and to support district departments, including but not limited to the Transportation, Technology, and Facilities Departments?

The public hearing this evening at Ithaca High School starts at 5:30.