Webster voters approve $227M school budget, pass both propositions, seat Richardson and Barker on BOE
Webster Central voters passed the 2026-27 budget on the first vote Tuesday, averting the district's contingency plan and keeping all three ballot questions well above the 50% threshold.
Webster Central School District voters approved the district's $227.09 million budget for 2026-27 on Tuesday, 2,506 to 1,196 -- a 67.7% YES margin that takes the district's contingency scenario, with its threat of layoffs and an equipment freeze, off the table.
Voters also passed both ballot propositions and elected the only two candidates on the Board of Education ballot. The polls at Webster Schroeder High School closed at 9 p.m., and the district posted unofficial results overnight.
The numbers
| Ballot question | YES | NO | YES % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 Budget ($227.09M) | 2,506 | 1,196 | 67.7% |
| Proposition #1 -- 10 buses ($1.8M) | 2,399 | 1,305 | 64.8% |
| Proposition #2 -- $45M Capital Reserve | 2,534 | 1,165 | 68.5% |
Roughly 3,700 ballots were cast across the three questions, with the totals falling within five votes of one another -- voters who turned out worked the full ballot. An official turnout percentage was not yet available from the district at filing. [ADD: turnout % when District Clerk confirms]
Contingency averted
The district had warned in its Spring 2026 Budget Newsletter that a defeated budget would trigger a contingency plan: the property-tax levy frozen at the prior year's $127.55 million, $2.1 million in cuts, "likely staff layoffs," an equipment-purchase freeze except for health-and-safety items, and an end to free community use of school facilities. Tuesday's first-vote passage means none of that triggers. The June 16 statewide revote date is not needed.
The approved levy of $131.88 million is up 3.39% from the current year and remains within New York's tax-cap formula -- the 15th consecutive year the district has filed a tax-cap-compliant budget. Per-pupil spending of $27,495 still trails the Monroe County average of $30,402.
For a typical Webster home assessed at $200,000, the projected tax-rate increase of $0.66 per $1,000 works out to roughly $133 more per year before STAR exemptions. Final rates are set in August pending equalization.
[ADD: statement when available -- superintendent Brian Neenan and/or Board President Janice Richardson]
What the propositions do
Proposition #1 authorizes up to $1.8 million to buy ten 66-passenger diesel school buses. State transportation aid is expected to reimburse roughly 68% of the cost, with first principal and interest payments hitting the 2027-28 budget.
Proposition #2 reauthorizes the district's Capital Reserve at a new $45 million ceiling over a 10-year term, replacing the expiring reserve. The ceiling is a savings cap, not an immediate expenditure -- the district funds the reserve through future budgets, and cash-funded capital projects still draw roughly 70% state building aid as if borrowed, avoiding interest costs.
Board of Education
Both candidates on the ballot were elected to three-year terms beginning July 1, 2026:
- Janice Richardson (incumbent, board president) -- 2,956 votes
- John Barker (newcomer) -- 2,729 votes
Richardson outpolled Barker by 227 votes. Both were guaranteed seats in an uncontested two-for-two race, and both candidates received more votes than the budget's YES total -- a sign that some voters who opposed the spending plan still backed the candidates on the board ballot.
The Ledger's pre-vote voter guide covered the spending plan, propositions, and candidate backgrounds in detail.
AI tools were used in drafting and research.