Pelham Board adopts $96 million tentative 2025-26 budget, adds clerical post for digital registration

The Pelham Union Free School District Board of Education on April 22 voted to adopt the district's proposed 2025-26 budget and to file the required property tax report card with the New York State Education Department.

The superintendent said, "If approved, this becomes the Board of Education's official budget to present to voters on May 20." The board then moved and adopted the budget in a roll-call procedure; when asked, the board chair called the motion passed.

Why it matters: The budget funds the district's operations, staff and programs for the coming school year and will appear on the May 20 ballot for voter approval. Administrators described the spending plan as focused on maintaining program quality while managing long-term sustainability amid rising costs.

Key numbers and structure: District staff presented the budget as a roughly $96,000,000 plan (presented as the total budget figure in the budget overview). Instruction and employee benefits together account for the largest share of expenditures. Administrators said state aid represents just over 14% of projected revenues, with roughly 77% coming from local property taxes; officials also identified modest use of appropriated fund balance and miscellaneous receipts. The administration described expected budget drivers as contractual salary and benefit increases, higher health insurance and liability costs, and…