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East Ramapo board adopts $348 million budget after weeks of dispute over prior year's levy
Summary
After hours of debate and legal uncertainty over an added levy approved administratively last year, the East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education voted to adopt a $348 million budget for 2025–26 with a $162 million tax levy; trustees and monitors warned about long-term reliance on reserves and federal funding uncertainties.
The East Ramapo Central School District Board of Education voted to adopt a $348 million spending plan for the 2025–26 school year on April 8, approving a proposed tax levy of roughly $162 million after extended public and board debate over a commissioner-added increase from last year.
Superintendent DiCarlo told the board the budget represents a “responsible budget,” prepared on a zero-based approach that reasks departments for needs rather than rolling prior allocations forward. He and Assistant Superintendent Stark said the draft uses about $11.8 million of fund balance, includes roughly $5.5 million for capital work such as parking-lot repairs, and relies on an increase of about $16 million in state aid to avoid raising the levy.
The vote followed more than two hours of discussion in which several trustees, community members and the district’s fiscal monitor…
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