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Board hears 2025–26 budget overview as energy‑savings projects near completion
Summary
At a Jan. 15 workshop the board reviewed preliminary 2025–26 budget goals, the state tax cap, cost pressures and an energy performance contract that officials say is already reducing kilowatt use.
The Oceanside Union Free School District Board of Education received its first public budget workshop for the 2025–26 fiscal year on Jan. 15, with business officials outlining budget goals, the state tax‑levy cap and several cost pressures that could affect next year’s tax levy.
Dr. Coakley, the district’s business administrator, said the board’s three budget goals remain: maintain instructional programs, support student needs and manage district facilities. He explained the district is working to stay within New York State’s tax cap formula, which this year yields an allowable growth factor of 2% before exclusions and exemptions.
Officials highlighted uncontrollable cost drivers they are factoring into projections: higher insurance premiums, rising transportation and fuel costs, increased out‑of‑district special education tuition, and projected health insurance increases estimated conservatively at 10%.
“Employee benefits are estimated by the state health insurance program and we were given a little bit of a heads up that this may grow in anywhere from a range of 10 to 15%. We are being conservative using 10% in our budget projections for health insurance,” Dr. Coakley said.
The workshop included a line‑by‑line review of the administrative and capital components that will be refined in subsequent workshops. Pages reviewed covered board of education expenses, central administration, business services, legal and human resources, printing and data processing, pupil transportation and community activities. Dr. Coakley noted some proposed increases are offsets to anticipated revenue or contractual obligations, and some items were held flat pending final quotes.
Transportation lines drew questions because the district provides service to more than 70 nonpublic and special‑education schools. Officials said a proposed increase in transportation reflects both contractual increases and more postseason athletic travel.
The board also received an update on the district’s energy performance contract. Dr. Harrington said installation of 11 energy conservation measures — mostly new LED lighting, plug‑load controllers, boiler controls and solar panels at each school — is near completion and already showing marked reductions in energy consumption. The district displayed month‑to‑month kilowatt‑hour comparisons that show substantial drops at several schools.
“We were told that there was a guarantee of savings. We were skeptical… but I can definitely tell you that it is absolutely tracking to be 100% truthful, accurate,” Dr. Harrington said, adding a transformer and final utility provider authorization remain before full solar generation is active.
Administrators said the energy project is expected to generate future operating savings and bring additional building aid when construction completion is finalized. The board scheduled budget workshop No. 2 for Feb. 12, which will cover the program component including athletics, curriculum and instruction, special education, student services and technology, and said the district plans to present a final expenditure budget by the March workshop.
