Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget 2025 26 topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
First look at 2025-26 budget: district flags energy costs, vehicle replacement and tax-levy limit
Summary
The district presented an initial draft of the 2025-26 budget, highlighting salary/benefits as the largest share, rising energy costs, a recommended $85,000 truck purchase for snow removal and a preliminary tax-levy limit of $184.18 million.
District business staff presented the board with the first, high-level review of the 2025-26 budget, outlining a rollover exercise, key cost drivers and preliminary tax-levy calculations.
Business presenter (Mister Roth) told the board that roughly 74% of the district budget is salary and benefits and that the district uses a detailed process of reviewing 289 budget codes to build a proposed budget. "74% of the school district's budget is salary and benefits," the presenter said. He described a rollover exercise used to surface cost drivers and then discussed code-by-code reviews carried out with cabinet and the Budget & Finance Committee.
Staff highlighted several near-term items: a recommended $85,000 purchase for a heavy-duty district truck (a Ford F-450 or similar) to support snow removal and heavy equipment hauling; a projected increase in energy expenditures that could raise utility spending toward $2.8 million next year (the district reported year-to-date spending of about $1.5 million and prior-year actuals near $2.3 million); and investments in vehicle and security equipment replacement. The presenter said the district is phasing in rooftop solar installations, which should reduce energy expenditures starting in future years, with district-wide completion expected by summer 2027 and partial generation possibly as early as summer 2026.
The presentation also included operational details: the district manages roughly 1,350,000 square feet of building space (staff compared that to about 555 average U.S. homes) and maintains about 30 vehicles, a maintenance staff of approximately eight people, 40 acres of grounds, about 1,600 employees and 6,500 students.
Officials reviewed the preliminary tax-levy limit, explaining the figure is the maximum levy the district could adopt without a supermajority. The district—s current tax levy was stated as $178,700,000; the preliminary tax-levy limit for 2025-26 was presented as $184,183,099, a $5.4 million (3.04%) difference driven primarily by increased debt service that is excluded from the tax-cap calculation. Staff said the final levy-limit figure depends on a pending capital-exclusion number from Nassau County and will be finalized after that figure is received.
Board members asked about timing for solar benefits, vehicle procurement and the five-year facilities plan; staff said some items are in the five-year plan and that the solar project rollout is phased. The board reviewed legal and auditing items related to printing, postage and RFPs for auditors (staff noted the fifth and final year with the current external auditors and the required RFP process).
No budget adoption occurred at this meeting; staff emphasized the presentation is an initial look and that multiple public meetings and committee reviews lie ahead.
