Wednesday, June 18, 2025
The Rockville Centre School District held its final public presentation of the proposed 2025-26 budget last week, outlining key investments in facilities, academic programs and cost-saving staffing changes ahead of the annual budget vote and Board of Education election scheduled for Tuesday.
Jacqueline Rehak, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, noted that this was the fifth budget presentation since discussions began last October. The $139.89 million spending plan is 1.63 percent larger than the current budget, and includes a 2.6 percent tax levy increase, which is just under the district’s allowable tax cap of 2.62 percent.
“This budget does include facility improvements at all schools, expanded offerings in-school and after-school,” Rehak said at the May 8 meeting.
The budget includes $1.8 million in capital improvements across the district, including bathroom renovations, lighting upgrades, HVAC repairs, plumbing and masonry improvements, new pavement and landscaping, and continued investment in flexible furniture for learning spaces.
New academic programs include Advanced Placement Cybersecurity and Human Geography courses, as well as college-level classes in financial investing and computational engineering through partnerships with Molloy and Hofstra universities. Enrichment options such as fashion marketing, Unified Theater and Unified Bowling, IB Dance and a new varsity field hockey team are also part of the proposed offerings.
A breakdown of the proposal, which is viewable on the district website, shows just over 78 percent of spending allocated to academic programs, 12 percent to capital expenses and 8 percent to administrative costs. Employee benefits are proportionally distributed across all three categories.
State aid remains stable for the district, with Gov. Kathy Hochul’s recently announced state budget resulting in no changes to Rockville Centre’s aid projections. The district will receive a 2 percent increase in foundation aid, with no adjustments to expense-based aid since February.
However, Rehak highlighted several areas where costs are a concern. Health insurance premiums have risen 36 percent over the past five years, with a projected 10 percent increase for the second half of the fiscal year alone, she said. Transportation costs are also up, driven by contract renewals based on the Consumer Price Index, additional routes and a steep 30 percent increase in BOCES transportation. General liability insurance is expected to increase as well, by 15 percent, and special-education costs for out-of-district placements have also risen, all of which had to be considered in the development of the budget.
To offset costs without impacting programs, the district plans to eliminate several staff positions. Six retiring teachers will not be replaced, one administrative position is being dropped, and the office of retiring deputy superintendent John Murphy will remain vacant. The district is also counting on a reduction of salary expenses from additional retirements.
“What I’m so impressed with as a whole, for our district, is that we are faced with challenges, but we always overcome them,” Board of Education Trustee Tara Hackett said at the meeting, “and instead of making cuts, we have repurposed and still found a way to grow.”
If the budget were to be voted down on Tuesday, the board would have the option of revising and resubmitting it for a second vote in June, or adopting a contingency budget. A contingency budget would require a $2.77 million cut in expenditures, which could mean the elimination of capital projects, instructional equipment purchases and the public use of school facilities.
Residents can find extensive budget information, including a detailed breakdown of the three-part plan, on the district’s website.
Voting will take place on Tuesday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., in South Side High School’s main gym. In addition to the school spending plan and Board of Education election — there is one at-large seat open — voters will also decide on the Public Library budget — Proposition 2 on the ballot — and three candidates for two open library trustee seats (Story, page 11).
Voter registration is open through Thursday at the district office. Absentee and early voting ballots must be received by the district clerk, at 128 Shepherd St. in Rockville Centre, by 5 p.m. on Election Day.
