At suburban districts across the Monroe County area, electric school buses were not favored by a majority of voters in several districts, though budgets received strong support from voters.
In Hilton, a proposition to purchase an electric school bus failed by 44 votes, but a separate proposition to purchase 11 diesel buses passed.
Spencerport voters struck down a similar proposition by a narrower margin. The district’s proposal to use up to $500,000 of capital reserve funds to purchase two electric school buses failed by 20 votes.
And in Churchville-Chili, voters said no to buying ten electric school buses by a difference of about 50 votes. Last year the majority of voters in that district also turned down buying one electric bus.
That goes in the face of a New York state initiative for schools to transition to electric vehicles. All new school buses are required to be zero-emission by 2027 with that transition extending to full fleets ten years from now.
At a time when public school funding is in a period of uncertainty with federal cuts and the Trump administration’s dismantling of the Department of Education, ballots reflected strong confidence in school budgets, something that some districts emphasized was not taken for granted.
“The (Honeoye Falls Lima) budget is more than just a series of expenses,” said Superintendent Gene Mancuso. “...Your investment in our schools is an investment in the future.”
In Brighton, more than 80% of voters approved the budget — one of the highest margins of approval in the last 25 years, according to a district spokesperson.
“The overwhelming approval of this year’s budget is a direct reflection of the incredible work our staff does every day to support, inspire, and care for our students, " Superintendent Kevin McGowan said in a statement.
Nearly 10 school board races were decided before any votes were cast. But of the more contested races, Greece stood out with six candidates vying for three open seats — and incumbent Megan Ferra was outvoted and will not keep her seat on the board.
The vote tallies were not without some humor. In Gates Chili, nearly 20 write-in ballots for school board included children’s TV celebrities Scooby Doo and Donald Duck, and there was one vote for Jesus.
The unofficial results from Monroe County districts, and Victor, are listed below in alphabetical order. Elected candidates are in bold, and all candidates have the number of votes received in parentheses, so long as districts provided that information.
BRIGHTON
Proposed budget of $110.6 million: Passed 1094-219
Board of Education results (2): Vinod Bajaj (219), Karen Hatch (incumbent, 1117), and Clayton Jones (1065)
BROCKPORT
Proposed budget of $102.5 million: Passed 444-230
Board of Education results (1): David Howlett (incumbent, no vote total provided)
Proposition 2 to establish a $7.9 million bus purchase capital reserve fund. Passed 447-224
Proposition 3 to establish a $19.7 million capital reserve fund for future construction projects. Passed 451-218
CHURCHVILLE-CHILI
Proposed budget of $108.9 million. Passed 869-470
Board of Education results (3): Thomas Albano (incumbent, 595), Kathleen Dillon (incumbent, 951), Steve Hogan (incumbent, 1044), Jason Marsherall (727), and Matthew Smeltzer (302).
Proposition 2 to authorize the district to buy 10 electric school buses and related equipment at a cost not to exceed $3 million. Failed 697-643
EAST IRONDEQUOIT
Proposed budget of $102.2 million. Passed 776-295
Board of Education results (3): Shanie Keelean (525), Jessica Krupa (incumbent, 826), Kimberly Lasher (incumbent, 730), and Jeffrey Petrie (incumbent, 615)
EAST ROCHESTER
Proposed budget of $32.5 million. Passed 229-28
Board of Education results (1): Vincent Antonelli (incumbent, 239)
Proposition 2 to establish a $2 million capital reserve fund to offset the costs of instructional technology initiatives. Passed 228-24
Proposition 3 to authorize a transfer of $70,000 from the district's liability reserve fund to its general fund. Passed 223-28
FAIRPORT
Proposed budget of $165.4 million. Passed 1,918-820
Board of Education results (2): Brian Moritz (incumbent, 2,217) and Janice Fortuna (incumbent, 2,251)
Proposition 2 to to spend up to $206,000 from an existing bus reserve fund to buy a school bus. Passed 2,093-642.
GATES CHILI
Proposed budget of $139.8 million. Passed 458-227
Board of Education results (3): Jahmar Elliott (withdrew ahead of the election), Andrea Minchella (511), Christine Brown Richards (455), and Tanya Srbinovski (incumbent, 531)
Proposition 2 to authorize buying school buses for up to $2.3 million. Passed 475-227
Proposition 3 to create a 10-year capital reserve fund for up to $12 million to go toward buying school buses in the future. Passed 485-199
GREECE
Proposed budget of $318.5 million. Passed 2,254-1,125
Board of Education results (3): Mark Buonaugurio (incumbent, 1,764), Annamaria Falzarano (1,903), Megan Ferra (incumbent, 1,566), Jenne LaPlaca (1,606), Monica Seaman (1,707), and Shaunna Smith (1,377)
Proposition 2 to authorize buying 35 gas/diesel school buses for up to $5.6 million, using $1.9 million from a bus purchase reserve fund and a five-year financing plan. Passed 2,273-1,117
Proposition 3 to establish a 15-year capital reserve fund for future construction and renovation projects capped at $50 million. Spending from the fund would require school board and voter approval. Passed 2,301-1,114
HILTON
Proposed budget of $105.2 million. Passed743-329
Board of Education results (3): Amanda Deidrich (802), Mark Hilburger (incumbent, 815), and Nancy Pickering (incumbent, 781)
Proposition 2 to approve the purchase of 11 diesel buses at a maximum cost of $1.8 million. Passed 757-312
Proposition 3 to approve the purchase of one electric bus at a maximum cost of $475,000. Failed 557-513
HONEOYE FALLS-LIMA
Proposed budget of $64.7 million. Passed 666-318
Board of Education results (4): Stephanie Templeton (incumbent, 683), David Youngblut (incumbent, 664), and David Francis (incumbent, 656) will serve three-year terms. Joel Robinson (incumbent, 600) will serve a one-year term. No vote total was provided for Daniel Bassette.
Proposition 2 to purchase and finance vehicles for student transportation in an amount not to exceed $1.1 million. Passed 683-300
Proposition 3 to form a $15 million transportation capital reserve with a probable term of 20 years. Passed 644-333
PENFIELD
Proposed budget of $128.6 million. Passed 2,731-1,403
Board of Education results (3): James Ashby (1,829), Nate Chenenko (977), Susan Gilbert-Collins (2,068), Sarah Pace (1,928), Emily Roberts (incumbent, 2,164), and Scott Wilson (2,394). The two candidates with the highest number of votes will serve three-year terms and the candidate with the third highest number of votes will serve a two-year term.
Proposition 2 to authorize the purchase of 11 buses for $3.5 million, with some of the money coming from the district's 2024 capital reserve for buses. Passed 2,490-1,640
PITTSFORD
Proposed budget of $168.2 million. Passed 1,731-433
Board of Education results (2): David Berk (incumbent, 1,611), Emily Kay (incumbent, 1,748), and Laura Schulitz (515)
Proposition 2 to authorize withdrawing $2.4 million from a reserve fund to purchase buses. Passed 1,812-354
Proposition 3 to authorize withdrawing no more than $500,000 from an instructional technology reserve fund. Passed 1,891-272
RUSH-HENRIETTA
Proposed budget of $179.1 million. Passed 1,669-771
Board of Education results (2): Mai Abdullah (incumbent, 1989) and Suzanne Bennett (incumbent, 1707)
Proposition 2 to authorize the district to spend $4.6 million from several funds to buy new buses. Passed 1,874-597
Proposition 3 to authorize the district to establish a $25 million reserve fund for construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, repair, and equipping of school buildings, and for facilities and site improvements. Passed 1,861-610
SPENCERPORT
Proposed budget of $102.5 million. Passed 626-530
Board of Education results (2): Leah Brown (incumbent, 850) and Megan Sarkis (incumbent, 897)
Proposition 2 to authorize buying up to two electric buses using reserve funds in an amount not to exceed $500,000. Failed 590-570
VICTOR
Proposed budget of $109.8 million. Passed 773-194
Board of Education results (3): Timothy DeLucia (incumbent), Lisa Kostecki (incumbent), and Elizabeth Mitchell (incumbent). The district did not provide vote totals.
Proposition 2 to authorize spending $1.5 million to buy "various school buses for use by the district." Passed 773-192
WEST IRONDEQUOIT
Proposed budget of $100.6 million. Passed1,364-424
Board of Education results (2): Gary Adams (no vote total provided), Melissa Bohrer (incumbent, no vote total provided), and Matt Sullivan (incumbent, no vote total provided)
Proposition 2 to authorize spending up to $1.6 million for a new roof, HVAC rooftop unit, and boiler at Briarwood Elementary School. Passed 1,459-327
Proposition 3 to authorize the district to establish a $20 million capital reserve to be used over 10 years. Passed 1,389-392
WEBSTER
Proposed budget of $220.3 million. Passed 3,211-1,306
Board of Education results (3): Carole Barnabas (incumbent, 3,366), Linda Dioguardi (incumbent, 3,579), and David Metzger (incumbent, 3,030)
Proposition 2 to authorize spending $1.8 million for 10 66-passenger buses, which would be financed over a five-year period. State aid would also be used toward buying the buses. Passed 3,130-1,363
Proposition 3 to authorize spending $525,000 for one 66-passenger electric bus. It will be financed over eight years and state aid would also be used toward its purchase. Passed 2,305-2,183
WHEATLAND-CHILI
Proposed budget of $23.6 million. Passed 165-64
Board of Education results (2): Gregory Berl (incumbent, 180) and Adria Callery (incumbent, 186)
Proposition 2 to withdraw and spend up to $295,000 from a bus and grounds equipment capital reserve fund to buy one 30-passenger wheelchair bus and one 35-passenger bus. Passed 174-55
Proposition 3 to establish a $1.8 million capital reserve fund for the purchase of student transportation vehicles and other equipment. Passed 175-54
