The Moravia Central School District's Board of Education will have two new faces next school year to work with the 2008-2009 budget. The district will also receive two new buses and two vans, and it will give $15,000 to the town library.

Moravia voters elected Michelle Lyon and Joseph D. Gentilcore Jr. Tuesday out of six candidates running for the board. They also approved next year's budget and every item on the board of education election ballot.

Both Lyon and Gentilcore will be serving for the first time. They will start their three-year terms in July.

Michael Miller, an incumbent, missed re-election by 54 votes. Current board member Terry Lamphier did not seek another term.

Gentilcore, 33, of Moravia, said he is excited to start working with the school board.

“I think it was just time for a change, and hopefully something good can come out of it,” Gentilcore said. “I look forward to working with everyone at the school and doing what I can for this community and the children.”

Lyon said she is “pleasantly surprised” not only about winning one of the seats, but by receiving the highest tally by more than 120 votes.

“I just hope that I can fulfill all my voters' expectations,” said Lyon, 37, of Moravia.

The district budget was comfortably approved, 465-260, according to the unofficial results from Tuesday's elections. The $18.55 million budget is up 5.5 percent and includes a tax levy increase of the same amount. District officials have attributed the budget to higher costs for fuel and health benefits.

The new budget also includes one less administrative position - which has been reduced by moving the sixth grade from the elementary school to the middle school - and one new teacher for full-day kindergarten.

Moravia will also organize its own pre-kindergarten program using state aid to fund the project, according to the budget. The district has previously given the funds to Cayuga County Action Program to run a pre-school.

Also passed, were proposals to purchase one 66-passenger school bus, one 45-passenger school bus and two seven-passenger vans. And voters approved a proposition to give $15,500 to Powers Library, which is located in Moravia.

The cost of purchasing those vehicles will not exceed $250,000, according to the proposition.

In the Southern Cayuga Central School District, where the proposed budget was defeated (see page A1 story), incumbent Michelle Dean was knocked out by newcomer Joe Lonsky for one of the two seats on the school board. The other open seat was captured by incumbent R. Dean Winspear, who earned the most votes of the three.

Lonsky, who ran unsuccesfully for the board last year, has long been a critic of the school district's budgets.

In the Cato-Meridian Central School District, the $18 million budget, carrying a tax levy increase of about 3.9 percent, passed by only 57 votes.

Superintendent Deborah Bobo said turnout was average for a year with no controversial proposals and surmised that the close vote may have been because people intending to vote “no” sometimes make a more concerted effort to get to the polls than people who are satisfied and assume the budget will pass.

A proposal to purchase three buses also passed.

In Port Byron, superintendent Neil O'Brien said Tuesday night that he was pleased with the support of voters who passed that district's $18 million budget that carries a tax levy increase of about 5.5 percent.

“I'm excited,” O'Brien said, “I'm thankful that the voters supported our budget and what we're trying to do here.”

O'Brien said he had mixed emotions on the voting for school board candidates. Longtime board member Maralee Hare was defeated and newcomer Patrick Cusick was elected along with incumbents Benjamin Vitale and Robert S. Ware.

“We'll miss her years of experience,” O'Brien said of Hare, “but we're glad to welcome Patrick to the board.”

Voters in the Union Springs Central School District passed a $17 million budget, an increase of 2.9 percent from last year.

“We appreciate the support of the community,” superintendent Linda Rice said. She said the voter turnout was within the same range of 450 to 500 as in previous years.

Weedsport Central School District's 2008-2009 budget passed 443-360. It was a large turnout, with 803 votes, the second highest amount cast since 2001, according to district superintendent Shaun A. O'Connor.

“We appreciate the support of the community and the confidence they've shown,” O'Connor said.

The proposed budget of $17,054,877 was a 4.59 percent increase over last year with an estimated tax levy of $6,487,354, of a 5.5 percent increase.

Voters also passed propositions to purchase school buses and to spend $50,000 to support the Weedsport Free Library.

Mary Kae Brentlinger won the single, five-year term board seat over incumbent Ron Case.

A large turnout in Skaneateles saw more than 1,100 people vote, with the district's $27 million budget passing 723-456.

“It was one of our largest turnouts in the last few years,” superintendent Philip D'Angelo said. D'Angelo said that taxpayers' concerns about the economy may have spurred many people to take an active role in voting this year.

Skaneateles voters also overwhelmingly passed a proposition to purchase two new new school buses.