The state Education Department has set the date for the binding referendum vote on the merger by centralization of the Livingston Manor and Roscoe Central School Districts.
The vote will be held Dec. 19, 2024, in both districts. Details will follow.
Earlier this year, New York state changed how merger aid would be calculated, which would result in about $30.7 million aid over 14 years, an increase of about $23.5 million from the old formula. A majority of people at both districts who filled out an exit survey at the May budget votes, when provided this information, said the districts should revisit the merger.
A merger study addendum was completed and appropriately filed with the State Education Department, where it was approved in September. In October, both boards unanimously voted to move forward in the merger process to gather petition signatures in support of a merger. The required number of signatures in both districts were collected and on Nov. 7 the boards approved the signatures and unanimously voted to move forward with the reorganization process. The resolutions were forwarded to the BOCES district superintendent to initiate the formal reorganization process with the State Education Department.
The goal of the merger is to provide financial stability for the community, and more importantly, increase academic and extracurricular opportunities for students at all levels.
For more information on the merger, visit the district’s merger page.