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Hamilton School students create Mexican embroidery for Hispanic History Month

Woman in yellow shirt showing a young student how to embroider
Hamilton School students create Mexican embroidery for Hispanic History Month

Nearly two-dozen fifth-graders at Hamilton School spent a class Friday stitching Mexican embroidery as part of Hispanic History Month -- and they were hooked – literally!

Teacher pointing at screen with art display

The young artists in Jenny Vaccaro’s class watched her nimbly weave a wool thread into a rustic fabric, which she displayed on a screen using a small camera, as they embarked on the project.

“Otomi embroidery, also known as Tenango, is created using brightly colored threads and fibers and usually depicts icons from nature such as flowers and birds native to the region where they are created,” read a description on the screen.

Miss V, as the teacher is affectionately known, helped students individually when they struggled with the wayward yarn. 

“In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are learning about different art forms and different artists,” she said. “So this is a traditional folk craft from Mexico – Otomi. A lot of the symbology in it is rooted in stories that have legends that have been passed on for generations.

Girl with glasses on her head working on embroidery

“We’re trying to be very respectful of the meaning of all those things, so I kind of asked the students to pick something of their own,” Miss V continued. “We’re not just copying, but we are borrowing the idea of the embroidery and learning about the bright colors and the inspiration.”

The teacher, a former auction house photographer, said she has not yet decided if the project will result in a single work or individual pieces by all the students.

“That’s going to unfold organically. I wanted originally for it to be one big piece but I’m seeing now that some students are definitely going to want to take theirs home, so if that’s the case, then I will simply back them,” she said.

When asked what she enjoys about her project, student Dayanara Davis said, simply, “The sewing” – adding that Miss V “is nice!”
 

 

Boy with glasses looking at red yarn
Closeup of hands and embroidery
Boy with glasses works on embroidery
Teacher surrounded by art students
Image of flower embroidery

 

 

In the foreground, a group of young people are gathered around a table, while the background shows a kitchen setting with ovens and other students.
Community Financial Question: Why is there a 2nd vote on the budget?

A second vote is required when the proposed school budget is not approved by voters on the first vote. 

By law, the Board of Education has two options after a failed vote: 

  • Present the same budget again, or 

  • Revise the budget and present an updated proposal 

The district chose to hold a second vote to give the community another opportunity to consider a budget that reflects feedback and adjustments made after the first vote. 

If the budget is not approved on the second vote, the district must adopt a contingency budget, and the budget cannot go back to voters again.

In the foreground, a community question about a district's fund balance cap is overlaid on a blurred image of students working in a kitchen, while the background shows more students and kitchen equipment.
Community Financial Question: Will the District exceed the 4% fund balance cap at the end of the school year?

New York State limits how much unrestricted savings (called unassigned fund balance) a school district can carry into the next year to 4% of the upcoming year’s budget. This allows districts to maintain a modest financial cushion but prevents holding excess funds beyond that level. 

The District began the year with an unassigned fund balance of $2,743,828, which is approximately 1.01% of the current year’s adopted budget of $272,206,615. 

As of the end of May, the District has an available budget balance of $10,398,985; however, significant remaining expenditures are still expected before year-end. After accounting for these costs, the District projects ending the year with an unassigned fund balance below $6 million. 

A community question about a board's advance notice of an agenda item and a transfer package is overlaid on a blurred background of people in a room.
Community Financial Question: Does the District have a $14.8 million net positive position? 

No, the District does not have a $14.8 million net positive position. 

As of April 30, 2026, the appropriations report shows a Current Budget of $273.25 million, with $191.74 million in Paid Invoices, $66.70 million in Planned Spend, and $13.56 million in Available Budget. The $14.8 million figure is incorrect because the report does not include Requested Spend, which represents funds already committed through purchase requests but not yet reflected in Planned Spend. These commitments reduce what is truly available. To improve clarity, the District will include Requested Spend in future appropriations reports.  

A community question about a board's advance notice of an agenda item and a transfer package is overlaid on a blurred background of people in a room.
Community Financial Question: Was the Board given advance notice of the April 7, 2026, agenda item to suspend the work session rules and of the $26 million transfer package? 

Yes. The April 7, 2026, Work Session included Agenda Item 10.5, which addressed the approval of general fund transfers. The full budget transfer package was sent to Board members on April 6, 2026, the day before the meeting, so they had time to review it in advance.  

The package contained detailed financial information about how funds would be adjusted. While the public agenda included a short description, the full details were provided in the attached document, not in the brief agenda summary. 

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Community Financial Question: Did the City of Mount Vernon complete its payment of the back taxes agreement for the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years?​

Yes. The City of Mount Vernon fully paid its obligations for the 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 school years. 

The repayment was governed by two legally binding agreements that together resolved the full amount owed. A Stipulation of Partial Settlement dated September 26, 2023, established a base tax liability of $11,734,627, and a Stipulation of Settlement as to Interest dated April 30, 2024, established interest of $2,112,233. 

In the foreground, students are gathered around a table, while the background features a large kitchen appliance and other people, all overlaid with a community question about school district savings.
Community Financial Question: Did the school district save $17 million from the closures of three school buildings?

No, the District did not realize $17 million in actual, recurring savings from closing the three school buildings. 

The $17 million figure reflected the total cost of operating those schools prior to closure, including all staffing and operating expenses. However, when a school closes, those costs do not simply disappear. Students are reassigned to other buildings, and most instructional staff move with them. As a result, a large portion of those costs remains in the system. 

Using 2024–2025 budget data, the District completed a detailed analysis to estimate what costs could realistically be reduced. This analysis shows that approximately $6.8 million in annual savings is a reasonable and supportable estimate, not $17 million.