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District Contact Include-Ilion Central School District

1 Golden Bomber Dr.

PO Box 480

Ilion, NY 13357

Phone: 315.894.9934

Fax: 315.894.2716

Cosimo Tangorra

Superintendent

Merger approval requires all four districts

Despite earlier reports, all four districts must approve the proposed merger at the board of education votes, the advisory referendum and the statutory referendum. The correct information is detailed below:

What happens if all four boards or communities don't approve a vote?

  • If the boards of education choose not move ahead, the process ends. They would then be free to pursue another course. They could explore merging two or three of the districts instead of all four, consider merging with a different district or explore a regional high school.

  • If one or more communities reject the advisory referendum (straw vote), the process ends. The boards of education could then pursue other options as listed above.

  • If one or more communities reject the statutory (or binding) referendum AND at least one approves it, all reorganization stops. The districts may not pursue other alternatives.

    • The community or communities that reject the referendum may choose to revote at least one year and one day in the future (no earlier than March 1, 2013).

    • If there is no revote, the reorganization plan remains in effect for two years. None of the districts may explore other options (merging, tuitioning students, etc.) until the plan expires on March 1, 2014.

    • The community or communities that pass the referendum do not revote. (They may not change their mind.)

Initially, the districts reported that three districts could move ahead at any stage. This turned out to be incorrect.

"The districts' initial understanding of the process to approve a merger have evolved over time," said Superintendent of Schools Cosimo Tangorra, Jr.

"Working with four school superintendents, four boards of education, the New York State Department of Education, and the merger consultants meant that information was not always relayed as smoothly as possible.

"What's important is that our communities now have the correct information."