Thursday, October 1, 2026
Results of the Roosevelt Union Free School District's budget vote and school board trustee election have been delayed, according to the district.
On May 19, Roosevelt residents were set to elect two school board trustees and vote on a proposed budget of $151 million for the 2026 to 2027 school year, which is a decrease of nearly $1.5 million compared to the current year's budget.
In a statement to the Herald late Tuesday night, a spokesman for the Roosevelt school district said, "Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming amount of affidavit ballots, the Roosevelt school district is unable to certify the results of the election tonight. We will send you the results as soon as possible once they verify those ballots this week."
One school board trustee seat, previously occupied by school board President Belinda Monroe, who is not seeking re-election, is being contested by Alfred Taylor and Veronica Walters. Taylor is a former Roosevelt school board president, and Walters is a daycare provider in the hamlet of Roosevelt.
The second seat is currently occupied by Emily Moore, who is running for re-election against challenger Frank Abel, a band director at Roosevelt High School and community leader.
The two election winners will serve three year terms from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029.
Shaneiqua Butts-Bell, Roosevelt’s interim assistant superintendent for business and operations, presented the proposed budget to the school board and community members during a budget hearing on May 5 at Roosevelt High School, and outlined the key factors driving the district’s spending. Aside from the total proposed budget decreasing about one percent, Butts-Bell highlighted that the school district will maintain a tax cap levy of one percent, well below the state allowed tax cap of 7.38 percent.
“We have maintained a consecutive one percent tax levy increase for the third consecutive year,” she said. “At the same time, state aid has decreased by approximately $1.7 million. Despite this, we have been able to maintain stability through our local planning and internal reallocations.”
