Sharon Springs Has Budget Hearing; Honors Valedictorian, Salutatorian

Yasmin Issa is Valedictorian of the Sharon Springs Central School Class of 2026

Ava Jump is Salutatorian of the Sharon Springs Central School Class of 2026. Photo by Chris English.

SHARON SPRINGS - The Sharon Springs School Board held a budget hearing, honored the top of the Class of 2026 and approved a three-year contract extension for Superintendent Tom Yorke during a busy meeting on Monday, May 11.

Yasmin Issa is the Valedictorian and Ava Jump the Salutatorian for this year's graduating senior class. Issa has a 103.92 weighted average (counts advanced courses) and Jump is close behind at 103.23. Both averages are close to perfect when considered from a non-weighted perspective, Yorke explained.

And while their academic achievements are impressive, their excellence extends beyond the classroom, he added. Both Issa and Jump participated in a wide range of extracurricular activities during their scholastic careers, including sports, clubs and many others.

Issa is the daughter of Tareq and school board member Sofia Issa. Jump is the daughter of Todd and Stacy Jump. Both girls have spent their entire pre-college school years at Sharon Springs, starting in Pre-Kindergarten.

"Yasmin has helped lead food and clothing drives, created a peer reading program, organized a youth soccer clinic and served on the Schoharie County Youth Advisory Board," said Yorke,

Jump arrived late at Monday's meeting because she was playing in a softball game for the combined Cherry Valley-Sharon Springs team.

"Beyond school, Ava has given back through blood drives, the food pantry, community dinners, AYSO soccer, Little League softball clinics and clothing drives," Yorke said.

Issa will attend Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences to pursue a Doctor of Pharmacy degree, a six-year program, and then become a pharmacist. Jump will attend Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island to pursue an Associate's Degree _ and then possibly a Bachelor's Degree _ in Baking and Pastry Arts. After that, she plans to become a pastry chef and eventually own her own bakery, possibly in Schoharie County or the surrounding area.

The proposed 2026-27 school district budget presented Monday by Business Manager Tony DiPace unfortunately includes several staff cuts forced by tight financial times. The school board approved the abolishment of the following positions: two full-time equivalent elementary teachers; one FTE teacher assistant; one FTE secondary Math teacher; one FTE vocal music teacher; a half-time Career and Technical Education Teacher.

"We can expect some classrooms to be bigger," said DiPace of the cuts. "These are hard cuts to make, very difficult for the board and for the people we care about that work for us. We looked thoroughly at every department and we still have all program areas covered."

The proposed $11.6 million 2026-27 budget that district residents will vote on May 19 has a 2.4 percent property tax increase, the maximum allowed without a super majority vote of residents under the district cap for next school year set by the state. It proposes to use a little more than $1 million in unallocated fund balance (surplus) but DiPace has said that doesn't necessarily mean all or any of that amount will actually be used next school year. He added the district will still have a total of roughly $1.8 million in various reserve accounts.

Also on the ballot May 19 will be the school board election and a transportation initiative that asks voters to approve the purchase of a new school bus at a cost not to exceed $185,000. DiPace said the new bus will be a replacement and the district will get something on the trade-in of the old bus.

Only one school board seat is up for election this year, the one currently held by board Vice-President Christine Cornwell, who decided not to run for re-election. Patrick Yacobucci is the only candidate running after Scott Cornell recently told district officials he had changed his mind and will not run, according to DiPace.

Yacobucci made some brief remarks at the Monday meeting, saying he will work hard to maintain programs and secure solid futures for all students. He is the Sanitation Manager at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center in Johnstown.Yacobucci and his wife Marinda have three children attending Sharon Springs, in fifth, seventh and ninth grades.

Yorke said he is grateful to the school board for the three-year contract extension. He is in his fourth year as superintendent and before that was a teacher at Sharon Springs since 2003-04 and has spent his entire professional career at the district.

The contract extension kicks in July 1 and extends through June 30, 2029. It features 2 percent salary increases in each of the three years, Yorke said.

Near the end of the May 11 meeting, the school board accepted the resignations of full-time school nurse Elizabeth Jones and full-time teacher assistant Keri Maldonado.