Syosset board approves 2025-26 budget plan, adds funds for three school buses amid tax-cap squeeze

The Syosset Central School District Board of Education voted to present its proposed 2025-26 budget at a public hearing and approved the district's property tax report card after a budget hearing in April.

Finance staff said the proposed budget of $296,242,000 represents a 3.53% budget-to-budget increase and would result in a proposed tax levy increase of 2.77%, below the calculated tax-cap limit of 2.8%. The administration also included an additional $632,000 in the plan to purchase three buses and proposed using about $9.1 million in restricted reserves to reduce the levy.

The budget presentation, led by Dr. Rufo, framed this year as particularly challenging because of ongoing inflationary pressures, rising health and liability insurance costs, negotiated transportation-contract increases, enrollment growth and uncertainty in state aid. Dr. Rufo said state aid in the executive budget runs was included at $35,000,000 but cautioned that the final state aid figures were not yet confirmed…