Sachem school business staff told the board Wednesday that the district absorbed roughly $34,200,000 in unfunded state and other mandated costs for the 2024–25 school year, and urged trustees to use that figure when discussing state aid and budget pressures.

The district’s business staff member Michelle, describing a line-by-line review prepared for the board, said the total included employer pension contributions, retiree Medicare Part B reimbursements and other required services. "So our Medicare part B reimbursements, for the prior school year amounted to $5,700,000," Michelle said, and later summarized: "So that is a total unfunded mandate of $34,200,000."

The report broke the unfunded amounts into categories including business operations, facilities, health and safety, instruction and nonpublic-school obligations. Examples listed by Michelle included $14 million for the teachers' retirement contribution (TRS) and $5.7 million for Medicare Part B reimbursements to retirees. The district also reported net charter-school tuition costs of $448,659 for 2024–25 after a $29,000 state aid adjustment; a $608,000 total in business‑office mandates; roughly $144,000 in unfunded facilities mandates; and large instructional items such as $3.2 million for academic intervention services.

Board members questioned trends and asked for multi‑year comparisons. "What's really interesting to me is what the delta is — what has been the delta in all these numbers over the last three years?" Board member Mike said, urging staff to show how unfunded mandates have moved relative to state aid increases. Board member Rob asked for a 20‑year aid history so trustees could see how aid as a percentage of the budget has changed.

Michelle told the board she used the district’s own numbers and state documentation where available and would supply a revised table and a three‑ to four‑year delta in the Friday packet. She also said the district has $1.8 million in prior‑period adjustments the state has not yet paid.

The report was presented as an informational item; the board did not take action beyond directing staff to provide further trend data and supporting figures for use in advocacy with elected officials.

The board’s discussion repeatedly connected the unfunded items to the district’s overall budget constraints and the impact on class sizes and services, but trustees stopped short of any immediate policy decisions while requesting more comparative data.