Westbury proposes 2025–26 budget with second consecutive tax-levy freeze; two propositions on May 20 ballot

Superintendent Tahira Tapiri Chase presented the Westbury Union Free School District's proposed 2025—26 budget at a May 6 budget hearing, telling the community the plan would keep programs and staffing at current levels while continuing capital investments and holding the district's tax levy flat for a second consecutive year.

The proposal will appear on the May 20 ballot as Proposition 1; Proposition 2 asks voters to allow the district to transfer funds from its capital reserve into the capital improvement fund so previously authorized dollars can be used for construction, reconstruction and renovations. "There will be a tax levy freeze to our community," Chase said during the presentation.

If voters approve Proposition 1, Chase and other administrators said, the district expects to maintain programs offered in 2024—25 and to expand some existing offerings. The presentation listed an 11.22% change versus the prior year and emphasized a 0% school-tax increase on the levy line. The hearing included a discussion of what would happen if the budget is defeated: "If residents vote down the budget a second time, the district must adopt a contingent budget," Chase said, and she listed categories that a contingent budget would restrict, including community use of facilities, new equipment purchases and nonessential capital expenditures.

Administrators highlighted specific investments that are part of the proposed spending plan. Assistant administrators and department directors described curricular and program additions funded in recent years and built into next year's plan: the district's first International Baccalaureate program courses (with the first IB diploma candidates expected to graduate next year); an expanded STRIVE special-education cohort and a planned kindergarten STRIVE section; a districtwide Chromebook refresh on a three-year rotation; expanded summer offerings, including a proposed three-week Active Zone and a four-week fine and performing arts program; and a new content-creation lab for student video and audio production.

Facility projects listed in the presentation include multiple building-level renovations and equipment replacements. The slides listed a proposed plan of approximately $1,400,000 in capital projects for 2025—26, with itemized work such as high-school bathroom and septic repairs (listed at about $80,000), middle-school bathroom and lab improvements, playground replacement at Park Avenue Elementary, floor and ceiling work at Drexel, and removal of underground oil tanks at multiple sites. Rob Stein, identified during the meeting as a district facilities leader, told residents the Park Avenue playground supplier had an approximately "8 week delivery time once everything is signed."

Chase and other presenters stressed that the district's capital reserve and its use are already subject to prior voter approval. The slide describing Proposition 2 said the original reserve was established in February 2019 to be funded by surplus monies and included a limit "not to exceed $2,500,000," then listed a remaining total in the capital reserve of $8,300,000; administrators did not provide documentation at the hearing to reconcile those two figures.

Community members asked questions during the public portion of the hearing about enforcement of a potential statewide cell-phone ruling, the availability of vendor and contract lists, overtime budget line items, enrollment trends related to program expansions and the timing of specific capital work. On enrollment, administrators said Westbury is projecting either steady or slightly declining enrollment in coming years but that the district is prepared to respond to any unexpected increases; they also clarified that the new universal prekindergarten seats are grant-funded and not reflected in the general fund figures shown at the hearing.

Board business related to this budget was noted by the superintendent: the board adopted the presented budget at a prior meeting on April 8 to carry it forward to the public vote. This May 6 session was a budget hearing only; no votes were taken at the meeting. "We will continue to update [the website] as per needed," Chase said, and the administration encouraged voters to attend and to cast ballots May 20 between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. at Drexel Avenue Elementary School, Dryden Street Elementary School, Park Avenue Elementary School and Westbury Middle School.

The presentation and question-and-answer session spanned programmatic, operating and capital-budget topics; administrators invited further questions by email at budget@westburyschools.org and encouraged residents to review posted budget materials on the district website before the May 20 vote.