Budget Information

Paul Bogart is a lifelong resident of Stone Ridge and a 2004 graduate of Rondout Valley High School.  He currently has two daughters in 5th grade in the intermediate school.  Paul is employed by the City of Kingston as a career firefighter and also spends a lot of time volunteering in his community as the fire chief.  After graduating from Rondout, Paul spent 10 years coaching football and baseball at his alma mater.  Paul is looking to give back to the school that gave him a great education and the start to a successful career.

My focus has always been a whole student approach, letting student strengths guide strong academic, sports, and the arts programs, while being fiscally responsible.  Students need a safe, accepting environment in which to learn.  During my nine years, I have served as President, Vice-President, Trustee, Chair of one Superintendent Search, as well as Budget, Policy and Facilities Committees, where I initiated the turf stadium.  I serve on the board of the Tourette Association for Greater NYS.  My husband Todd, a lifelong resident of the area, and I have raised two successful graduates of Rondout.  It would be an honor to serve the community again.

Cari Kosins, a local farmer with a background in education, community building, and the arts, has two children, one of whom is a junior at Rondout Valley High School.  With 28 years of experience as an educational administrator, she has expertise in building successful, fiscally viable school programs, managing administrative teams, and developing equitable systems inside schools, all of which begin with involving the larger school community.

Cari is a member of the Rondout Valley Growers Association and ISBONA (Icelandic Sheep Breeders of North America) and serves on the Rondout Equity Council and the Town of Rochester Agricultural Advisory Committee.

I’ve had the pleasure of living in Lomontville for the past 12 years, and currently have 2 children in the school district.  I am a father of 3 amazing boys.  I am a husband to a beautiful woman.  I am a tennis player, with dreams to qualify for the U.S. Open.  I am a weightlifter, with hopes not to break my body.  I am a manager, with an obligation and dedication to protect vulnerable people.  I am a former member of the Lomontville fire department.  I am Sidney J. Hymes, and it’s my hope to be a member of the Rondout Valley Central School District school board.

Lucy VanSickle is a dedicated community member with a lifelong commitment to public service. She served with  Marbletown Fire Company for 37 years and Marbletown First Aid for 25 years. Now a member of Kripplebush Fire. A school nurse at Rondout High School for 30 years, Lucy served on the Rondout Valley Board of Education from 2021 to 2024. She now represents Rondout Valley District on the Ulster County BOCES board. A mother of two Rondout Valley graduates, Lucy is focused on bringing new opportunities to all students so they may reach their full potential.

Margaux Sanchez is an educator, communications professional, and community organizer with extensive experience in independent school administration, publishing, journalism, advocacy, and postsecondary education.  The parent of a Rondout Valley 8^th grader and a 5^th grader at High Meadow School, she’s lived in Marbletown since 2018.  Originally from St. Louis, MO, Margaux taught college writing and literature there, and currently serves as communications Manager at High Meadow, working to engage pre-K-8^th grade families in their children’s education.  She looks forward to deepening her service to the Rondout Valley Central School District in the years to come.

I am an alumnus, parent, educator, and active community member.  I take great pride and care in the past, present, and future of the Rondout Valley CSD.  This district provided me with an excellent experience and foundation for the future and I want to ensure that all students that go through our schools are able to say the same thing.  I have been a High School Business Teacher within the Cornwall CSD for the past 10 years.  I bring a well rounded point of view to this board that will help guide the district in making informed and all encompassing decisions.

I’m Vanessa Greene, longtime Stone Ridge resident, business owner, and mother of two in the district.  Since 2017, I’ve been actively involved in local education.  As Marbletown Elementary PTA President, I’ve organized assemblies, after-school clubs, and fundraisers to provide more learning opportunities for students.  I’m in our schools weekly, working closely with parents, teachers, and staff to support families.  I’ve served on a Board of Education subcommittee, the School Improvement Team at MES, as Hurley Nursery School Board President, and as AYSO registrar.  I’m ready to bring my experience to the district level and make our schools work for everyone.

Dimity Palmer-Smith is a Rondout Valley parent and lifelong educator committed to expanding educational opportunities for all students. With nearly two decades of experience in nonprofit leadership, she has led data-driven initiatives focused on postsecondary success and empowering teachers through her work with Teach For America, America Achieves, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and EL Education. Dimity is active in the community—coaching her sons’ AYSO soccer teams, teaching at Ridgewell Fitness, serving on school district committees, and rock climbing with her husband. She will bring to the BOE proven strategies for engaging students in meaningful learning and a commitment to their success.

For school districts, the “tax levy limit” is the highest allowable tax levy (before exemptions) that a school district can propose as part of its annual budget for which only a simple majority of voters (more than 50 percent) is required for budget passage. Any proposed tax levy amount above that limit requires budget approval by a supermajority (60 percent or more) of voters. Essentially, the “tax levy limit” sets a threshold that requires districts to obtain a higher level of community support for a proposed tax levy above the “tax levy limit.” However, the new legislation does not place a limit on any taxes a school district would levy to pay for expenses related to specific “exempt” items, including some court orders, some pension costs and local capital expenditures. The costs of these exempt items are added to the “tax levy limit” to come up with the “allowable tax levy” limit. It is important to note that: • Tax levy limits will vary by school district; • The new law does not limit an individual’s tax bill.

By law, each school district’s tax levy is determined by a complex, 8-step formula that was developed by the state. The formula takes into consideration a number of variables, including growth in the local tax base (if any), exemptions, the previous year’s tax levy, as well as the current and coming years’ PILOTs (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). The rate of inflation or 2 percent (whichever is lower) is also part of the equation. Consideration is also made for any allowable “carryover” funds from previous years, as districts are allowed to “bank” some unused portions of their tax levy limits to use in future years (details on this are still emerging from the state). Individual school districts will each have a unique tax levy limit, which must be submitted to the state by March 1 each year. Once the tax levy limit is determined, the district will then add coming school year’s exemptions to the tax levy limit, creating a “maximum allowable levy.” As a result, a district may actually propose a budget with a tax levy that is higher than its lax levy limit and still be within its “cap” under the law.