Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Rockville Centre school district would cut 22 teaching jobs and reduce overall staffing by 24.2 positions under the proposed 2026-27 school budget as administrators attempt to close a projected $3.2 million budget gap while staying within the state tax levy cap, district officials said during a Board of Education meeting on March 12.
The board meeting, usually held in the South Side High School commons room, was moved to the auditorium to accommodate an anticipated larger crowd. Dozens of parents and residents filled the seats as they awaited updates on how the budget could affect their children’s education and the school environment.
The district’s plan to cut staff is part of a broader reduction of 24.2 teaching positions, officials said. The proposed reductions — some of which include retirements — would affect several departments across the district.
Officials said the 22 excessed teaching positions would primarily come from general education as staffing is adjusted to reflect enrollment. That would include two teachers each in math and social studies, one teacher each in English language arts, science, art and physical education, and two full-time equivalent part-time teaching positions.
Other excessed positions include four world language teachers, five Academic Intervention Services reading teachers and three STELLAR teachers, a program that supports students in technology, enrichment, literacy, library and research.
Separate special education staffing changes include a reduction of 7.8 teaching positions tied to retirements and program needs.
The budget would also eliminate 40 teaching assistant positions and one administrative position, while reducing facilitator stipends and bus matrons.
Superintendent Matthew Gaven said that formulating the proposed 2026-27 budget included “hard choices and difficult recommendations.”
“Please know that both the Board of Education and the administration understand that behind every number is someone who has dedicated time, talent and heart to Rockville Centre,” he said.
The budget presentation showed the largest savings would come from staff reductions, with the decrease in teaching positions expected to save annually for the 2026-2027 school year about $2.98 million and the elimination of teaching assistant jobs projected to save about $952,730. Additional savings of $191,219 would be seen by eliminating an administrative position, $210,563 by reducing facilitator stipends and $62,653 by decreasing the number of bus matrons.
Smaller cuts under consideration include a 10 percent reduction in club funding, eliminating second assistant coaches in some sports, reducing summer student workers, ending the district’s lease for a synagogue space used for programs, and cutting funding for the Ashokan trip and International Baccalaureate subject fees. Music students also would be charged a $50 instrument maintenance fee, which is expected to generate about $50,000.
District officials said the budget initially faced a roughly $6 million gap, which was reduced to about $3.2 million after accounting for retiree salary and benefit savings.
Of the remaining teaching assistants, 19 would support special education programs and the remaining 16 would assist in general education classes.
The plan outlines specific allocations by school, with three TAs each at Jennie E. Hewitt, Francis F. Wilson, William S. Covert and Floyd B. Watson elementary schools, two at Riverside Elementary School, and one each at the middle and high school testing centers. Officials said the changes are intended to align staffing with student needs while maintaining support for both special and general education programs.
Just as they did during the Jan. 29 Board of Education work session, residents in attendance voiced their concerns about the budget, saying taxpayers deserve more transparency on the proposed decisions.
Lesli Deninno, the Rockville Centre Teachers’ Association president, also called for greater transparency, stressing that requests for detailed line-by-line budget information and updated fund balance reports had been ignored. She urged the board to provide clearer financial information and reconsider the planned reductions, which, she said, could weaken programs and morale among educators, arguing that staff and academic programs are central to the district’s success.
“When the superintendent first came to this district, he said RVC is one of the best districts, and what makes it best is its people,” Deninno said. “That remains true. The strength of this district is its teachers, staff and programs that support students. Cutting these is not the best practice. It is actively damaging to students and the community.”
District parent Michael Cosgrove, a father of three children, voiced strong opposition to the proposed staff reductions, saying the cuts unfairly target teachers.
“It is absurd to think that because of inept financial mismanagement, or construction costs, or health care costs, or because the government didn’t give us enough money, or enrollment is down, or house prices are up, that any one of those 100 teachers or their counterparts are losing their jobs,” he said.
Another parent questioned the district’s focus on reducing teaching assistants while leaving administrative positions largely intact.
“Why are we not reducing the amount of administrators?” asked South Hempstead resident Melissa Beltre. “They get paid a lot and we have a surplus. We do not need three curriculum administrators right now. Please consider not to let go of the teacher assistants.”
Gaven warned residents that the 2026–27 budget would be one of the most challenging in recent years, citing rising expenses and limited flexibility. Many of the pressures, he noted, were first identified during last year’s budget cycle, when the district took steps to reduce spending without cutting programs, including failing to replace some retirees, using salary savings and grant funding, and eliminating two administrative positions.
Gaven said driving up the budget totals are contractual obligations, rising insurance expenses, increasing special education costs, and a decrease in state aid. Tuition revenue from non-resident students has declined over the past three years, while the number of high-cost special education students has grown. At the same time, K–12 enrollment has fallen steadily, dropping from 3,548 students in 2016 to a projected 3,260 in 2026–27.
The district’s ability to raise revenue is also limited by the state’s property tax cap, which for the fifth consecutive year restricts increases to 2 percent, despite the inflation factor being 2.63 percent. While voters could override the cap, Gaven emphasized that the limit leaves the district with little room to maneuver as it faces mounting financial pressures.
The next budget meeting is scheduled for March 26 in the SSHS Common Room at 7 p.m.
