Budget
2024 - 2025 Proposed Budget & Board of Education Election
- Budget Presentations
- May 21 - Results
- Budget Statement & Required Attachments
- 2024-2025 Budget Vote Information
- 2024-2025 Budget Numbers
- Board of Education Candidates
- On the Ballot
Budget Presentations
May 21 - Results
BUDGET VOTE & BOARD OF EDUCATION ELECTION PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Canandaigua City School District voters passed a $91.1 million budget for 2024-2025 school year, approved a transportation purchase proposition, and re-elected Beth Thomas and Milton Johnson to a 5-year term on the Board of Education. The budget was passed with 76 % of the voters approving the budget. Additionally, voters approved the Wood Library proposition.
Proposition 1 Budget
Yes- 1654
No- 533
PASSED
Proposition 2- Transportation Purchase
Yes- 1654
No- 537
PASSED
Proposition 3- Wood Library
Yes- 1590
No- 608
PASSED
Board of Education
Mrs. Beth Thomas 1459
Mr. Milton Johnson 1122
Dr. Paul Harvey 596
Kent Gilges 543
Amber Valvano 542
Budget Statement & Required Attachments
2024-2025 Budget Vote Information
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School Link Gymnasium
Vote at the Primary-Elementary School LINK gymnasium if you live in:
City of Canandaigua, Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 1 , 2 , and 3
Towns of East Bloomfield, Farmington, Gorham & Hopewell
Cheshire Fire Hall
Vote at the Cheshire Fire Hall if you live in:
Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7
Towns of Bristol & South Bristol
Questions about voting/ absentee ballots? Contact District Clerk Deb Sundlov (585) 396-3710
2024-2025 Budget Numbers
Board of Education Candidates
There are two seats available in the 2024 election. The terms of current school board members Milton Johnson and Beth Thomas expire on June 30, 2024.
Milton Johnson- Mr. Johnson was elected to a five-year term in May of 2019 and presently serves as the chairperson of the Board’s Audit Committee. Mr. Johnson holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Indiana State University. A professor of communications at Finger Lakes Community College, he serves as chairperson of the Academic Senate having previously served as an interim Associate Vice President and as department chairperson. Mr. Johnson served for ten years on the SUNY Faculty Council for Community Colleges where he held several leadership roles before being elected President. He has volunteered and held leadership positions in many community organizations including Canandaigua Jr. Baseball and Softball, Canandaigua Outdoor Track Boosters, and Canandaigua Soccer Boosters. He is a member of the First United Methodist Church of Canandaigua. He and his wife, Catherine (Beth), have two children who graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 2018 and 2021.
Beth Thomas- Mrs. Thomas was elected to her third term in May, 2019 and presently serves as the chairperson of the Board’s Policy Committee. She served six years as a past Board Vice-President. Mrs. Thomas is a past President of the Four County School Boards Association, with member school districts in Ontario, Seneca, Yates and Wayne Counties. She holds a bachelor's degree from Quinnipiac College and was a Cardio-Pulmonary Physical Therapist at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics for eight years. She now is Practice Manager for her husband, a gastroenterologist in Canandaigua. She served as the President of Friends of Wood Library, President of Canandaigua PTSA, and was a member of numerous school district committees prior to election to the Board of Education. Mrs. Thomas and her husband, Raymond, have two children who graduated from the Academy in 2013 and 2017.
Kent Gilges- Mr. Gilges is Founder and Managing Director of Conservation Resources Partners, LLC., a private equity company founded in 2004. He graduated from Cornell University and Oxford University. He has been a member of the Canandaigua Rotary since 2013 and will be the President-elect in July 2024 and is currently Treasurer of the Greater Canandaigua Civic Center. He previously was on the Board of Wood Library and the Forest Stewardship Council, the U.S. Endowment for Forests and Communities, and the Forest History Society. Mr. Gilges and his wife, Elizabeth, have six children and a foster child.
Amber Valvano- Mrs. Valvano has worked for Wegmans for 17 years. Previously as a Pharmacy Area Manager and most recently as a Marketing Manager supporting the pharmacy and health and wellness. She is a graduate of Canandaigua Academy, attended the University of Rochester, and received her Doctor of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher University-Wegmans School of Pharmacy. She served on the hospitality committee at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Canandaigua and helped with the GIFT program. Mrs. Valvano and her husband, Matthew, have three children with their twins in first grade.
Paul Harvey- Dr. Harvey has resided in Canandaigua since 1991 and has been the owner of Aberle Eye Care for the past 30 years. He graduated from The Pennsylvania College of Optometry in 1988 and was an undergraduate student at The Indiana University of Pennsylvania. He is Board Certified in Developmental Vision and is the Clinical Director for Special Olympics New York Opening Eyes vision screenings. A Director for Sonnenberg Gardens and the Canandaigua Rotary Club, he is also active in various environmental and conservation groups. Dr. Harvey’s two children graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 2011 and 2014.
On the Ballot
Proposition #1- Budget Resolution
Resolved, that the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Canandaigua in the County of Ontario, State of New York, be and hereby is authorized to expend the sum of $91,147,506 for the 2024-2025 school year and to levy the necessary tax therefor.
Proposition #2- Transportation Purchase
Shall the bond resolution adopted by the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Canandaigua, New York, dated March 4, 2024, authorizing the acquisition of school buses, all at an estimated maximum aggregate cost of $1,524,755, less trade-in value, if any, and the appropriation and expenditure from the existing 2016 Transportation Vehicle Reserve Fund of $840,000 for such cost; the levy of a tax to be collected in annual installments therefor; the issuance of debt obligations of the School District as may be necessary, not to exceed $684,755, may be issued or the board of education may appropriate in its discretion undesignated available fund balance therefor, all be approved?
Proposition 3- Wood Library Community-Based Funding
Resolved, that pursuant to Education Law, Section 259, the Board of Education of the Canandaigua City School District is authorized to levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school district budget, in the amount of $1,007,564, which shall be paid to the Wood Library Association of Canandaigua for the support and maintenance of the library; with this appropriated amount to be the annual appropriation until thereafter modified by a future vote of the electors of the Canandaigua City School District.
Budget Vote - May 21
Previous Budgets / Elections
2023-2024
- Budget Presentations
- Budget Statement & Required Attachments
- 2023-2024 Budget Vote Information
- 2023-2024 Budget Numbers
- Board of Education Candidates
- On the Ballot
- Foundation Aid Survey
Budget Presentations
Budget Statement & Required Attachments
2023-2024 Budget Vote Information
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School Link Gymnasium
Vote at the Primary-Elementary School LINK gymnasium if you live in:
City of Canandaigua, Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 1 , 2 , and 3
Towns of East Bloomfield, Farmington, Gorham & Hopewell
Cheshire Fire Hall
Vote at the Cheshire Fire Hall if you live in:
Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7
Towns of Bristol & South Bristol
Questions about voting/ absentee ballots? Contact District Clerk Deb Sundlov (585) 396-3710
2023-2024 Budget Numbers
Board of Education Candidates
There are two seats available in the 2023 election. The terms of current school board members Megan Personale and John Polimeni expire on June 30, 2023. Mrs. Personale and Mr. Polimeni are running for another term. The open seats are for five years, to begin on July 1, 2023.
Mrs. Megan Personale - Mrs. Personale seeks her second term on the Board of Education. She is a forensic interviewer and education specialist at the Child Advocacy Center, working with school districts on child trauma and abuse. She has collaborated with the school district on child protective and other matters on a regular basis during her career. Mrs. Personale is a lifelong resident of Canandaigua. She graduated from Canandaigua Academy in 1997 and she holds a degree in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Alfred University. She is a member of St. Mary’s Church. She and her husband, Phillip, have three young children, two of whom attend the Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School.
Mr. John Polimeni - Mr. Polimeni was elected to the Board in May, 2006, to complete a vacated term. In May, 2018, Mr. Polimeni won his third full five-year term. He is an attorney in private practice in Canandaigua as well as Broker/Owner of Red Jacket Realty. He is a 1979 graduate of Canandaigua Academy, 1983 graduate of St. John Fisher College and a 1986 graduate of Nova Southeastern University School of Law. He previously served for many years in volunteer emergency medical services as a member of the Thompson Health System Board of Directors, the F.L. Regional EMS Council and the Canandaigua Emergency Squad. He was also a volunteer coach with Canandaigua Junior Baseball and the St. Mary's Church CYO Basketball program. He and his wife, Karen, have two sons. Both are graduates of Canandaigua Academy.
On the Ballot
Proposition #1- Budget Resolution
Resolved, that the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Canandaigua in the County of Ontario, State of New York, be and hereby is authorized to expend the sum of $88,296,097 for the 2023-2024 school year and to levy the necessary tax therefor.
Proposition #2- Transportation
Shall the bond resolution adopted by the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Canandaigua, New York, dated March 20, 2023, authorizing the acquisition of five (5) 74-passenger buses at an estimated maximum cost of $159,865 each and four (4) 74-passenger buses with luggage boxes at an estimated maximum cost of $163,966 each, all at an estimated maximum aggregate cost of $1,455,189, less trade-in value, if any, and the appropriation and expenditure from the existing 2016 Transportation Vehicle Reserve Fund of $870,000 for such cost; the levy of a tax to be collected in annual installments therefor; the issuance of debt obligations of the School District as may be necessary, not to exceed $585,189, or the board of education may appropriate in its discretion undesignated available fund balance therefor, all be approved?
Proposition #3- Vehicle Purchase Reserve Fund
Resolved, the Board of Education of the Canandaigua City School District is hereby authorized to establish a capital reserve fund pursuant to Section 3651 of the Education Law to be designated, “2023 Vehicle Purchase Reserve Fund”, for the purchase of school buses, other vehicles, and other equipment for use in the transportation program of the School District, in an ultimate amount not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000) inclusive of accrued interest and other investment earnings, with a probable term of ten (10) years. The Board of Education is hereby authorized to pay funds from the available fund balance, state aid reimbursement to the School District on account of bus purchases and the proceeds of the sale of used buses, and/or such other monies as the voters may direct, and/or other legally available funds of the School District to such reserve fund in an amount determined by the Board of Education up to the maximum authorized amount.
Proposition #4- Wood Library Community-Based Funding
Resolved, that pursuant to Education Law, Section 259, the Board of Education of the Canandaigua City School District is authorized to levy and collect an annual tax, year after year, separate and apart from the annual school district budget, in the amount of $920,150, which shall be paid to the Wood Library Association of Canandaigua for the support and maintenance of the library; with this appropriated amount to be the annual appropriation until thereafter modified by a future vote of the electors of the Canandaigua City School District.
Foundation Aid Survey
New York State requires school districts receiving aid increase of more than 10% to create plans on how these funds will be used to address student performance and need.
Canandaigua City School District
Foundation Aid Increase Survey
In accordance with New York’s adopted state budget, for the 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 school years, each school district receiving a foundation aid increase of more than: (i) ten percent; or (ii) ten million dollars in a school year shall, on or before July 1 of each school year, post to the district's website a plan by school year of how such funds will be used to address student performance and need, including but not limited to: (i) increasing graduation rates and eliminating the achievement gap; (ii) reducing class sizes; (iii) providing supports for students who are not meeting, or at risk of not meeting, state learning standards in core academic subject areas; (iv) addressing student social-emotional health; and (v) providing adequate resources to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness.
Canandaigua’s foundation aid increase for the 2023-24 academic year of $2,620,385 equates to a 13% annual increase, which exceeds the 10% threshold for a required utilization plan. Despite the new planning mandate and earmarked suggestions, it is important to remember that foundation aid remains an unrestricted aid category in its application. The planned usage of the 2023-24 increase in foundation aid for Canandaigua City School District include:
| 2023-24 NYS foundation aid increase | $2,620,385 |
| Increasing graduation rates and eliminating the achievement gap | $110,000 |
| Maintaining classroom class sizes at contractual agreed preferred class sizes and reducing class sizes in kindergarten. | $761,385 |
| Providing supports for students who are not meeting, or at risk of not meeting, state learning standards in core academic subject areas. | $469,000 |
| Addressing student social-emotional health | $404,000 |
| Providing adequate resources to English language learners, students with disabilities, and students experiencing homelessness | $876,000 |
2022-2023
- Budget Presentations
- Budget Statement & Required Attachments
- 2022-2023 Budget Vote Information
- 2022-2023 Budget Numbers
- Board of Education Candidates
- On the Ballot
Budget Presentations
Download and View the presentations in pdf form:
Board of Education March 7, 2022 Presentation
Budget Statement & Required Attachments
2022-2023 Budget Vote Information
Tuesday, May 17, 2022
7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Canandaigua Primary-Elementary School Link Gymnasium
Vote at the Primary-Elementary School LINK gymnasium if you live in:
City of Canandaigua, Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 1 , 2 , and 3
Towns of East Bloomfield, Farmington, Gorham & Hopewell
Cheshire Fire Hall
Vote at the Cheshire Fire Hall if you live in:
Town of Canandaigua in Voting Districts 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7
Towns of Bristol & South Bristol
Questions about voting/ absentee ballots? Contact District Clerk Deb Sundlov (585) 396-3710
2022-2023 Budget Numbers
Board of Education Candidates
There are two seats available in the 2022 election. The terms of current school board members Michelle Pedzich and Jennifer Schneider expire on June 30, 2022. Dr. Schneider is running for another term and Mrs. Pedzich has chosen not to run for re-election. Ms. Jennifer Tessendorf seeks her first term. The open seats are for five years, to begin on July 1, 2022.
Dr. Jennifer Schneider - Dr. Schneider seeks her second term on the Board. She is a professor and FRAM chair at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), and leads a university-wide student-focused initiative in Applied Critical Thinking, She is also a recognized teacher/researcher that engages students from many different backgrounds. She holds a doctorate from UMASS Lowell College of Engineering and a MS from the University of Rochester. Before, RIT, Dr. Schenider began her career as an engineer in the local industry. Dr. Schneider serves on the District Council for Instructional Excellence, Audit Committee and the COVID-19 taskforce. Dr. Schneider and her husband, Tim, have two daughters who attend Canandaigua Academy and they live in the Town of Canandaigua.
Ms. Jennifer Tessendorf- Ms. Jennifer Tessendorf seeks election to her first five-year term on the Canandaigua City School District Board of Education. Ms. Tessendorf is an Instructor of Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. She earned her Bachelor of Arts at Indiana University in Political Science and East Asian Studies and a Master’s of Arts from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. She completed Ph.D. coursework in Political Economy and Public Policy at the University of Southern California. Her volunteer work includes membership on the Board of Elders and Capital Campaign Director at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and a Trustee on the Board of the Pioneer Library System (OWWL). She and her husband, Feisal Khan, have two daughters, one who attends Canandaigua Academy. They live in the town of Canandaigua.
On the Ballot
Proposition 1 - Budget Vote - Total budget $83,248,803
Proposition 2 - Transportation - Purchase of buses- $1,069,045
- Seven 74-Passanger Buses at $131,816 each
- One 64-Passenger Wheelchair Bus at $146,333
- The buses will be purchased from the transportation reserve and fund balance with no new increase to taxes
Propsoition 3- Funding for Wood Library
- Proposal from Wood LIbrary
- $844,250 Tax Levy or 9.5%
- Increase of $0.017 per $1,000 Assessed Value
- Incresae of $2.51 for $150,000 Assessed Value