Along with the annual school budget vote on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, and three other propositions, the Hendrick Hudson School District will also be deciding on three open trustee seats on the Board of Education. On May 14, the district held a candidate forum at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library for the four candidates vying for the three vacant slots.
Hendrick Hudson High School students Haley Morris and Braeden Mulligan, both scholar-athlete juniors at the school, moderated the candidate forum for an audience of over 30 community members in the room and over 200 viewing the live stream.
With the approval of the district superintendent and the high school principal, the PTA Advocacy Committee engages students to participate as a means of promoting student engagement and real world experiences (two pillars of the district’s strategic plan).
A total of 112 questions were submitted by 18 district residents. These were then vetted by the PTA Advocacy Committee ahead of the event to come up with a representative set that ensured the final questions would reflect the role of a trustee and elicit responses providing the most complete information for voters. Some were combined or revised for clarity and time. No questions from the audience in attendance at the forum were permitted and those whose questions were not addressed were encouraged to reach out to the candidates between now and the May 20 vote.
Initially, there were five candidates running for the three seats, but with the withdrawal of Ryan Arecco on April 26, the nomination period was reopened until April 30 and positions redrawn to allow for other entrants. With no new contenders, the four candidates are Jeremy Basso, Alexis Bernard, Allison Hooban and Erica Mills. For candidate-submitted bios and information, visit the district website’s Board Candidates page.
At the forum, the four candidates reiterated some of the points in their individual Q&A with the Herald that was posted earlier this week. Major topics of the evening were the role of a Board of Education trustee; managing the district’s budget in a time of transformation; and working with the community and administration to create the best outcomes for students. The forum was streamed in its entirety, archived and available for viewing on the Stream HHCSD YouTube Channel.
The Hendrick Hudson Central School District is governed by a seven-member Board of Trustees, including a president and vice president selected by the board each July. The incumbent board members (with their term years) who will be working alongside the three new trustees starting July 1 are Cori Boudin (2024 – 2027), Tomica Dietrich (2023 – 2026), Amelia Silverman (2023 – 2026, current vice president), Lauren Stanco (2024 – 2027).
Voters will find a total of five propositions on the ballot.
Proposition 1 is the proposed 2025-2026 school budget of $96,232,500 for the district.
Proposition 2 is a Capital Reserve Fund of up to $5 million plus any interest earned that would remain in place for a probable 10 years.
Proposition 3 is for approval to spend up to $750,000 on the purchase of new school buses and vans.
Proposition 4 is the 2025-2026 Hendrick Hudson Free Library’s proposed budget of $1,420,913 (details outlined here).
Proposition 5 is the vote on the three open seats on the school board for the three members who will serve the 2025-2028 term.
The vote will take place on Tuesday, May 20, at Frank G. Lindsey Elementary School from 7 a.m-9 p.m. The 2025 budget issue of the Hendrick Hudson District Soundings newsletter was mailed to all households and the online version — in both English and Spanish — is available here. The newsletter has detailed explanations of what voters will be deciding at the polls. The comprehensive budget book is posted here.
If you have not yet registered to vote, you can do it in person by seeing Carmen Koch, District Clerk, at the School District Administration Building, 61 Trolley Road, Montrose, between 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m., up to five days before the election. You are also able to check your registration status by calling the District Clerk at (914) 257-5112. For complete details on voting in this election and all other local, state, and national elections, see the district website.
