Thursday, October 1, 2026
There is a version of the school budget that gets told every spring on Long Island. Tax levies, state aid figures, reserve balances, percentage caps. That version is accurate, but it’s only part of the picture. A school budget is also a statement of what a community values.
This past year was our first working together in our respective roles in Glen Cove, and it tested that idea. A great deal was asked of us as a community. We grieved losses together, and said goodbye to members of our school district who gave so much to our schools. We stood beside families through some of the hardest moments a family can face. We also met emergencies and disruptions that no plan fully prepares anyone for.
Significant storms brought power outages across our buildings. A remote day was pulled together in just a few hours. Three gym floors required emergency remediation. Construction tested our patience and asked all of us to stay flexible. Through every one of these challenges, our staff kept our students calm, safe and learning. Most days, our children never felt the busyness happening behind the scenes.
The budget was its own difficult season. The financial pressures we face are the same ones challenging districts across Long Island and New York. Costs rise faster than allowable revenue. Health insurance and retirement obligations are set far outside any district’s control. Special education needs, which are a legal mandate and a moral commitment, cost more every year. Aid formulas don’t keep pace with local expenses.
None of this is unique to Glen Cove. What we believe is unique here is how we approached the development of our budget. We built models and ran scenario after scenario, testing what different assumptions would mean two and three years out rather than only this September. We brought those scenarios to Board of Education meetings, to work sessions, and to faculty and PTA town halls.
Residents and staff asked hard questions. Trustees pushed for details. People stayed with the process from the first workshop through the vote in May. When our budget passed, it represented a community deciding together what it was committed to protecting.
So what did our budget protect? It protected the conditions that produced a remarkable year. Newsday data shows that our elementary schools have climbed 11 spots in regional rankings in just two years, which means we have overtaken 11 districts in state test proficiency. Our AP Scholars and AP Capstone numbers have grown for five straight years. The College Board recognized Glen Cove for our work in expanding access to college-level coursework.
Glen Cove High School was named one of the best high schools in the nation for 2025-26, and a Premier School for Theatre Education by the Educational Theatre Association, one of only 15 schools nationwide to receive that distinction. Our second-grade First in Math team from Deasy School was crowned state champion. Our visual arts, GCTV, performing and instrumental groups, DECA, yearbook and athletic teams brought home honor after honor.
Our budget protected the work that rarely makes headlines. The teaching. The coaching. The meals served, the buildings cleaned, the grounds kept beautiful and the students kept healthy and safe. When our central office clerical staff was displaced by construction, they kept payroll, transportation, enrollment, facilities, and every other operation running without a single interruption.
We don’t pretend that the difficult decisions are behind us. The pressures shaping this year will shape the next several years, here and across the state, and we intend to keep those conversations public, keeping transparency our priority and always sharing real numbers.
This past school year taught us something worth carrying forward. When you give a community the full picture, including the uncomfortable and difficult parts, that community will respond with resolve and support. Our staff, our trustees and our residents did exactly that.
Thank you for a first year in these roles that we will both remember. We are grateful to serve this district alongside people who care so very much for the students and community we serve.
Alexa Doeschner, Ed.D., is superintendent of the Glen Cove City School District, and Theresa Kahan is the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations.
