The statewide annual school budget vote and school board elections will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, May 19.
When Fayetteville-Manlius School District voters go to the polls, they will consider the district’s $122 million 2026-27 budget proposal, elect three board of education members and approve three other propositions.
Voting will take place 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Wellwood Middle School located at 700 S. Manlius St. in Fayetteville.
To be legally qualified to vote, individuals must be:
- A United States citizen
- A district resident for 30 days prior to the vote
- At least 18 years old
- Registered to vote
If you have questions about voter eligibility, contact District Clerk Sarah Gridley at 315-692-1200 or districtclerk@fmschools.org.
What will be on the ballot?
District-related Propositions
- A $122,496,620 proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year that increases spending 5.22% ($6,077,072) and carries a 3.12% tax levy increase, which is at the district’s calculated tax levy limit.
- The proposed purchase of six diesel-powered school buses and two gasoline-powered vans at a total cost not to exceed $1,529,830.
Library Propositions
- The Manlius Library Tax Levy: $1,548,396
- Fayetteville Free Library Tax Levy: $2,172,035
New York state education law allows libraries to place a funding proposition on school district ballots and requires school districts, at the libraries’ requests, to levy and collect taxes for libraries.
The libraries are separate legal entities from the school district, with their own funding and budget. The amount of the tax levy collected by a school district for a library remains the same each year until the library requests a proposition to change that amount.
Board of Education Election
Only two candidates submitted petitions by the 5 p.m. April 20 deadline to have their names placed on the ballot. They are:
- Robert J. Spencer
- Kristen Purcell
There is space on the ballot for voters to write in the name of a candidate. Voters may cast a ballot for any combination of named candidates or write-in candidates so long as no more than three individuals are indicated per ballot. The three individuals with the highest vote totals will be elected to the board. The term for each open seat is three years, and they each begin July 1.
More information about the budget and propositions are available at www.fmschools.org/budget-finance.