Sewanhaka board hears first draft of $262 million 2025–26 budget; May vote to include capital reserve proposition

The Sewanhaka Central High School District Board of Education reviewed the first draft of the 2025–26 school budget at its Feb. 25 meeting, with business office staff presenting a proposed general fund of $262,062,036, an increase of about $6.3 million (2.49%) from the current year.

The first presentation outlined the district's three-part budget structure required by state rules: administrative, program and capital. The administrative budget rose modestly (about $56,000, or 0.1%), the program budget was presented at roughly $198 million (about a $5 million increase), and the capital budget was proposed at $32,814,374 (a roughly $1.2 million, or 4.09%, increase). Kevin O'Brien of the district business office opened the presentation, saying, "We're excited about getting our first draft out to everybody." The board was told the draft will be presented again in March and returned for adoption in April; the public vote on the budget is scheduled for May 20.

Why it matters: the draft lays out planned classroom programs,…