Walton voters approve $26.9 million school budget after crossing tax cap
Walton NY – Voters approved Walton Central School District’s $26.9 million budget 247-152 after it crossed the tax cap and needed supermajority support.
Walton Central School District voters approved a $26,921,300 budget for 2026-27 on Tuesday, May 19, passing the plan 247-152 after the district crossed New York’s school tax cap and needed a supermajority of 60 percent plus one vote.
The result gives Walton a confirmed spending plan for next year after one of the district’s key ballot questions cleared the higher threshold. State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said earlier this year that the school tax cap remained at 2% for the fifth year in a row, and NYSUT listed Walton among the districts proposing levies above their maximum limit.
Voters also approved a bus proposition allowing the district to buy up to three 64-passenger buses and one 48-passenger bus with a wheelchair lift, with spending capped at $735,000.
On the board side, voters elected Kevin Verweire and write-in Cortnie Russell to three-year terms. The district posted the results on May 20 and updated them on May 22 after correcting proposition vote totals that were misread from the tape; the outcome did not change.
For Walton residents, the vote locks in the 2026-27 budget, confirms bus replacement authority, and shows support for district spending even with the tax-cap hurdle attached.
