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Brunswick Central proposes $31.01 million budget, warns of program cuts if voters reject it
Summary
District leaders presented a $31,012,896 proposed 2026–27 budget with a projected 5.9% tax increase and said an alternate $30.6 million budget with a 3.55% tax increase would be offered if voters reject the first proposition; potential cuts include the SRO, an elementary counselor, reduced UPK and music, and several student programs.
Brunswick Central School District officials presented a proposed $31,012,896 budget for 2026–27 that would increase the tax levy by an estimated 5.9%, and outlined specific program reductions that would be required if voters reject the proposition.
The presenter summarized the package to the board and the public, saying the district has tried to balance student services and staff support while responding to rising debt-service costs that inflate the year-to-year percentage change. The presenter said the larger 7.56% budget-to-budget figure reflects increased debt service and that other revenues offset some of that rise.
The district described a contingency budget it would offer if the first vote fails: a roughly $30.6 million plan with a 3.55% tax increase that would remove several items currently included in the proposed budget. The presenter listed the targeted reductions: the school resource officer (SRO) position, an elementary guidance counselor, a reduction in elementary music, one fewer universal prekindergarten (UPK) class (from three to two), elimination of the Reach program and a teacher MCA position, removal of the athletics "huddle" program, and cuts to morning K–12 programming.
On the SRO role, officials said the district is completing a multiyear contract and pays for the SRO service directly (no BOCES offset). The presenter noted strong community sentiment on the SRO and said, "they will vote with their feet, by coming and sharing that," if voters wish to preserve the position.
Officials also reminded the public that the ongoing capital project is funded from capital reserves and voter-approved debt and is accounted for separately from the general fund operating budget; the capital work was described as already approved by voters and should continue even if the operating budget vote fails.
District staff reported that phase 2 of the capital project has cleared the next approval step and can be put out to bid, but cautioned that some large industrial materials (for example, boilers) may be difficult to source, potentially delaying certain timelines even if bids are favorable.
Other operational updates included completion of ELA testing with some statewide login issues that staff and IT supported, recent CTE acceptances and upcoming student internships, and the district’s plan to present two finalists for a high school principal position to the board for review prior to approval.
Routine business on the agenda included approval of the April 3 meeting minutes and Questar BOCES items (a slate of four incumbent board members and the Questar administrative budget). The chair called the Questar items and routine approvals; the transcript records those motions as adopted.
The meeting closed its agenda items and moved to public comment.
What happens next: the district will post the line-by-line budget information online, hold a formal budget hearing in the coming weeks, and place the proposed levy before voters at the scheduled school budget vote.
