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Schools

Butler Budget Passes With 504 Votes

Budget passes for the first time in three years.

After a steady stream of voters throughout the day, Butler Borough Clerk Mary O'Keefe announced the unofficial election results shortly after 9 p.m. Wednesday. The Butler Public Schools' passed with 504 votes for it to 290 against it.

Superintendant Mario Cardinale appeared calm before the results were announced.

"We've done all we could," he said Wednesday night. "Now it's in the hands of the community." 

A few minutes later, he was giving and taking excited congratulations from elected officials, board members and lingering voters.

Little league coach James DeRosa, one of the last voters of the day, voted in favor of the budget.  "I did it for the youth," he said simply, his son standing by his side. 

O'Keefe said that she felt that a on April 7 had a significant impact on voters.  Cardinale was invited to speak with other board members at the event, in which they discussed standardized testing, the budget and many other board-related issues.

Cardinale said this is the first Butler Board of Education budget to pass in 3 years. Out of about 4,500 registered voters, about 800, or 18 percent, came to the Carey Avenue Firehouse to vote Wednesday.

Board of Education incumbents Tracy Luciani, Cynthia Sokoloff and Al Marion were all voted in. They ran unopposed. Luciani and Sokoloff will both begin their second terms on the board and Marion will begin his third.

Sokoloff received 497 votes, Luciani received 533 votes and Marion received 523 votes.  Three write-in candidates received a total of 15 votes.

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