Riverhead district presents $211 million 2025-26 budget; administration says cuts will not create legacy payouts

The Riverhead Central School District on Tuesday presented a proposed $211,000,000 budget for 2025–26, a $9.9 million (4.95%) increase from the 2024–25 voter‑approved plan, and said the district will not put legacy benefit or salary payouts for former administrators into the new spending plan.

Dr. Eric Cartesano, the district superintendent, opened the required budget hearing by saying, “This budget hearing is a requirement of education law.” He told the board and public the district has built the plan around instructional needs and a “sound financial plan.”

The superintendent and his presentation broke down the $9.9 million increase: about $7.7 million is targeted to instruction (general education, special education, athletics, arts and clubs), roughly $1.1 million to undistributed items such as benefits and debt service, and about $600,000 to student transportation. Dr. Cartesano said the district is anticipating $86 million in state aid, $5.1 million in payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT), and that taxes will be levied within the state tax‑cap formula at 2.16%.

Why it matters: Voters will decide the budget at the district’s annual vote on May 20; the board moved the polling location this year to Riverhead High School for what administration staff described as safety and security reasons.

Public concern and administration response

Resident Bob Brown questioned the decision to eliminate several central‑office positions that provide curriculum and instructional support. Brown noted the district’s designation by the New York State Education Department as “in need of improvement” for some schools and said removing district‑level curriculum roles could undermine work to lift test scores.

In response Dr. Cartesano confirmed the cuts were budgetary but said the board and administration plan to restructure services rather than leave gaps. “There are no legacy benefits for any of those employees that you had termination contracts with or those that resigned,” Cartesano said, adding, “there are no salary payouts for anybody that falls into that category.” He described the restructuring as creating department chair roles at the secondary level and adding an additional literacy coach at the elementary level to deliver more direct, classroom‑facing support.

Discussion vs. decisions

The presentation and public comments functioned as a required hearing and opportunity for discussion; the board did not adopt the budget at the meeting. Several board members and administrators emphasized that the proposed increase is instruction‑driven and that the district intends to stay within the state tax‑cap formula.

What’s next

The district’s budget vote and school board election are scheduled for May 20 at the high school. The superintendent said the district will post updated budget documents online and expects final state aid numbers to arrive soon; any changes to state aid would be reflected in the revenue plan but not the advertised $211 million bottom line.