School Budget Passes;

Turnout Very Low

Rye voters overwhelmingly approved the 2018/2019 Rye City School District budget when they went to the polls on May 15. The tally was 952 in favor and 227 against. As the budget is tax-compliant, it was expected that the budget would pass with ease.

There were just three candidates for three open seats on the Rye City School Board, so the results were not in doubt. Incumbents Chris Repetto and Kelly Smith-Powers received 927 and 898 votes, respectively. Callie Erickson, running for a first term, received 910 votes. There were votes for 68 different write-in candidates.

Turnout was extremely low. Just 1,181 out of 9,981 eligible voters in the School District went to the polls. It is worth noting that 88% of the electorate did not bother to vote on a budget that represents nearly 60% of their property tax bill.

It appears that it was mostly parents who showed up to vote: 22 percent were between 40 and 49, 10% over 60, 6% in their 30s, and just 2% of voters in their 20s.

— Peter Jovanovich