Edgemont Approves Budget and Elects the SBNC Endorsed Slate to Board

Edgemont voters approved the 2010-11 school budget by a margin of 77.5% to 22.5%, with 764 in favor and 222 opposed. Edgemont’s margin of approval is believed to be the highest rate of approval by any school district in Westchester County.

The budget that voters approved called for an increase in spending of 1.1% but, because of reduced property tax assessments, required a tax increase of 2.5%. Nonetheless, the hikes in Edgemont were the second lowest in twenty years and capped a five-year financial turnaround for the district, which has had single digit increases every year since 2006. Unlike most school districts in the area facing tough economic times, Edgemont was not required to lay off any personnel or cut programs this year.

Edgemont elected the entire slate recommended by its School Board Nominating Committee to the Board of Education. Elected to three-year terms were David Chao, Thomas McCormack, and David Stern. Elected to fill the remaining two years on Allan Pepper’s term was Gerald Stoughton.




Former Board president Chao was re-elected to the Board with 740 votes. He is an Edgemont alumnus who was part of the leadership team that led the district’s financial turnaround. Chao, a graduate of Dartmouth, is a professional financial investor and advisor.

McCormack, a corporate litigator in Manhattan with Chadbourne and Park, was re-elected to a second three year term. He received the second highest vote total, with 710 votes. McCormack has degrees from Stanford and Cornell.

Stern was elected with 689 votes. He is also an Edgemont alumnus, and the younger brother of Sarah Stern, the former board president who led the district’s financial recovery. Stern holds business degrees from Yale and is a management consultant. Stern’s mother, Betsy Stern, is also a former member of the board and served as its president in the 1980s.

Stoughton, a financial planner with the Port Authority of New York, was re-elected with 660 votes. Stoughton holds degrees from Columbia and Harvard.