East Ramapo unveils budget plan backed by $16 million in state aid, seeks to hold tax levy flat while adding staff and repairs

Superintendent DeCarlo and district budget staff on Tuesday presented a 2025–26 executive budget that counts on an estimated $16 million in additional New York State aid and proposes holding the local tax levy flat while adding staff and capital repairs.

The plan, the administration said, would double down on fine and performing arts, expand athletics spending, fund targeted facilities repairs and add manpower in transportation and clerical functions to improve day-to-day operations and student services. “We need to do what we need to do for our students now. We cannot wait any longer,” Superintendent DeCarlo told the board.

Why it matters: the district has faced repeated public complaints about cafeteria food, building conditions and staff shortages. The superintendent framed the budget as a multi-year start: “Tonight, we are presenting a budget that's not just for this year, but for years to come,” he said, adding that many changes depend on voter approval of the budget.

Key elements - Revenue: Chief budget presenter Mr. Stark said the draft relies on an increase in state aid (presented to the board as about $16,000,000) and that the administration is proposing no increase in the tax levy for 2025–26. “We are able to fund the revenue side with keeping the tax levy flat, so not increasing the tax levy from the prior year,” Mr. Stark said. - Fine and performing arts: Michael Smith and district staff described restored investment after a decade of cuts. The district reported growth in participation in state music programs (from 35 students in earlier years to several hundred recently) and requested catch-up funding for equipment, uniforms, stage lighting and instrument repairs. The presentation showed a multi-year restoration that included a one-time larger infusion (a figure cited as about $930,000 in cumulative catch-up funding over time) to restore programs and equipment. - Athletics: The budget would add roughly $350,000 (presented as a 33% increase year-over-year for athletics in 2025–26) to replenish equipment and uniforms, fund a new dance studio and install bleachers at Spring Valley High School. Athletic participation was reported to have risen from about 931 students to more than 1,200 across seasons. - Facilities and capital priorities: administrators said about $5–5.5 million in capital work is proposed for district-wide repairs if the budget passes. Items singled out included boiler replacements at Limekiln and Eldorado, chiller repairs, expanded classroom air conditioning, paving and drainage work, and expanded custodial and grounds equipment. The administration emphasized prioritizing health-and-safety items from the district building-condition survey. - Transportation and staffing: Transportation director Miss Givens outlined staffing additions: the district is proposing two additional route-safety inspectors (added to a current single inspector), four additional clerical staff, and two coordinators to improve routing, parent communications and operational hours. The presentation listed current transport figures of about 10,323 public-school riders and roughly 32,320 nonpublic riders, with a projection that nonpublic ridership could rise to about 33,820 in 2025–26. - Hiring initiative: Human-resources staff said the district is pursuing a large hiring push to fill roughly 200–250 vacancies across teaching, bilingual/ELL, paraprofessional and clerical roles. The recruitment plan includes three job fairs set for April 5 (10 a.m.–3 p.m.), April 9 (4–6 p.m.) and May 8 (4–6 p.m.) at the central office; outreach to local colleges; and the creation of hiring committees and temporary assistants to process large applicant volumes.

Board context and next steps The administration repeatedly cautioned that many of the capital and staffing items hinge on passage of the 2025–26 budget. Administration staff also said a contingent budget (if voters reject the proposed budget) would prohibit the use of fund balance dollars for capital work. Mr. Stark said he would provide the board with actual revenue figures from the current year at a follow-up meeting and reiterated that some revenue lines had been adjusted downward where prior budgets had assumed carryover income that did not materialize.

Ending The board will consider the budget and supporting materials at upcoming meetings and will present a final proposal to voters; the administration said additional detail on ARPA-obligated projects and what remains to be addressed will be provided to the board on request.