Registered voters of the Livingston Manor and Roscoe school districts will vote later this month on whether a merger between the two districts will move forward. The nonbinding referendum, or straw poll, will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, in each district's new gym.
Voters must be 18 years old, and a U.S. citizen and a district resident for at least 30 days before the vote, and not otherwise unqualified to vote. The last day to register is Oct. 21, 2022. Those who are not registered to vote with the Board of Elections may register for the school elections by visiting the Livingston Manor or Roscoe Main Office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Call 845-439-4400, ext. 1201, in Livingston Manor, or 607-498-4126, ext. 6105, in Roscoe, to schedule an appointment.
Qualified voters may request an absentee ballot application by contacting the district clerk at 845-439-4400, ext. 1201, or emailing marlyn.peters@lmcs.us. Completed applications must be received by the district clerk by Oct. 20. if the ballot is to be mailed to the absentee voter or Oct. 25 if the ballot is to be delivered personally to the absentee voter. Absentee ballots must be received at the office of the district clerk no later than 5 p.m. Oct. 26. Any ballots received after that time will not be counted.
The two districts entered into a merger study at the end of 2021. The study was conducted by consultants Castallo & Silky LLC in the first half of 2022. An 18-member Advisory Committee of employees, residents and students from both school districts met with the consultants throughout the process. If a majority of voters in each district approve the merger proposal on Oct. 26, the process will move to a second, binding vote, scheduled for Dec. 14. If a majority of voters in either district votes “no” on the proposal, the merger process will end without moving forward any further. If the merger is approved in December, the new district will begin operations on July 1, 2023.
A mailer with more information about the merger was mailed to households in both school districts. Those who did not receive a copy may contact the district office to receive one. Information is also available on the Merger pages of both districts’ websites.