Kings Park board adopts $109.84 million budget after months of planning; staffing cuts at middle school announced

Kings Park Central School District Board President Mr. Bianco and district business officials on Tuesday adopted a $109,840,196 budget for the 2025–26 school year, a 2.86% increase over the current year and a 2.99% increase in the tax levy that the board said complies with New York State tax‑cap law.

The budget vote to adopt the proposed spending plan passed by voice vote after a presentation from the district business office. "The three biggest challenges and drivers putting together next year's budget happen to be insurance, salary, and inflation," Doctor Egan said during the presentation, noting a roughly $145,000 increase in general liability insurance and higher health‑insurance costs.

The district emphasized a set of difficult choices driven by a decade‑long decline in middle‑school enrollment. Doctor Egan said William T. Rogers Middle School enrollment fell from about 854 students in 2015 to a projected 559 in September 2025. That decline prompted the district to reduce middle‑school team staffing, which led to the "excessing" of four teachers. "The unfortunate part of refitting our staffing at the middle school was the unfortunate excessing of four teachers that made up that team," Doctor Egan said. He added the district will work with affected staff and maintain a recall list should positions reopen.

Why it matters: administrators said the adopted plan tries to preserve programming while remaining within the tax cap amid state budget uncertainty. Doctor Egan listed other budget drivers and revenue contingencies the board considered: roughly $2.67 million in expected Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) funds tied to an energy performance contract, $690,000 currently budgeted for electric buses (which the district will not purchase if federal funding does not materialize), and roughly $1 million in annual federal Title and IDEA grants.

Board discussion and public reaction: the board president framed the staffing decision as painful but necessary given enrollment realities. A cluster of public‑comment speakers—mostly senior high school students—urged the board to retain specific staff. Several students spoke on behalf of Kings Park High School soccer and peer‑support programs, urging that coach and teacher Sean Brady remain in the district. Tyler Cohen, a senior, told the board, "Coach Brady welcomed me and always pushed me to become the player that I am today." Another student, Jordan Hernandez, described Mr. Brady's impact on classroom engagement and student support.

The board acknowledged those comments and said it will try to find near‑term positions and extracurricular roles for impacted staff. Mr. Bianco told students their testimony "means something," and emphasized the district's efforts to support affected employees while complying with personnel rules. A board member who spoke during the public‑comment response period (speaking without a full identifying name in the record) said the district maintains a recall list and will try to preserve extracurricular and coaching opportunities for staff "to the extent they're able and interested."

Contingency and household impact: the district projected that the average taxpayer would pay roughly $305 more annually (about $25.42 per month) under the adopted levy. Doctor Egan also described what a failed budget would mean: a contingent budget would require approximately $3.1 million in cuts, freeze the levy, prevent equipment purchases, and force other significant reductions.

Next steps: the board scheduled a budget hearing at the next Board of Education meeting (May 13) and the public budget vote on May 20 in the Kings Park High School gym. The district said it will apply any additional state aid it receives to reduce the use of reserves.