East Ramapo S.D. votes on school budget

The East Ramapo School District is holding a budget vote tonight, with the fate of jobs and an elementary school hanging in the balance.
If the proposed $198 million school budget passes, 106 full-time positions will be eliminated, Hillcrest Elementary School will close and spending will increase nearly three percent from last year.
School officials say the cuts are necessary because the district is expecting to lose millions of dollars in state aid. The current budget maintains advanced placement courses, music, sports and extracurricular activities.
If the budget should be voted down twice, the district will have to put in place an austerity budget, which would mean an additional cut of $5.5 million.