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White Plains board holds public hearing on proposed 2025–26 budget; 1.67% tax levy increase within cap
Summary
At a May 12 Board of Education meeting, district officials held the required public hearing on the district's proposed 2025'26 budget, a plan the board already adopted that would raise the tax levy by 1.67% while preserving existing programs, with the budget vote set for May 20.
WHITE PLAINS ' At a public hearing on May 12, the White Plains City School District presented its proposed 2025'26 budget, a spending plan the board previously adopted and will put to a community vote on Tuesday, May 20.
Dr. Ricca, a district administrator, said the proposal stays "within the tax cap, but well within the tax cap. It's 1.67% is the recommended increase," and that the plan "preserves 100% of all of our programming." He told the audience the budget also "supports all of our colleagues in all of the support, classroom, extracurricular" areas across the district.
The hearing is a statutory requirement that gives residents an opportunity to comment before the school budget election. Dr. Ricca noted the board had already approved the spending plan and encouraged residents to ask questions at the hearing or by email at budget@wpcsd.us.
Why this matters: residents will decide whether to adopt the spending plan at the district election scheduled for May 20; the proposal would raise the tax levy 1.67% while maintaining current programs, according to district remarks.
Key details: the district said the proposed budget remains under the state-imposed tax cap and that no programs would be reduced under the plan. District staff credited work by the Board of Education, the finance and audit committee, and the business office for preparing the proposal. Polls for the budget vote will open at noon and close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 20.
District officials pointed to community feedback collected during the budget process and said that input shaped the final proposal. Dr. Ricca and other staff offered to continue answering questions after the meeting and provided the district's budget email for follow-up.
The hearing included routine monthly and school updates from principals and ex officio student representatives, but no substantive amendments to the budget were made during the meeting. The board will take the final vote on the budget at the May 20 election.
Looking ahead: district officials said they will share more information about implementation and any required policy adjustments tied to state law changes announced in the recently adopted state budget.
