Wyandanch board warned of tight state deadlines as $3.5 million budget gap emerges

Administrators told the Wyandanch Union Free School District Board of Education that state fiscal monitors requested the district submit its available budget materials immediately and that the controller’s office expects the final budget to be filed by March 21 to meet a planned April 22 board adoption. "Could they please provide context and clarity to what the state sent to us yesterday?" Trustee Jerrod Morris asked, prompting the explanation.

The administration presented a draft revenue and expenditure picture showing roughly $121 million in projected revenues and a $3.5 million deficit that must be closed for a balanced 2025–26 budget. Dr. Larry, who led the budget presentation, walked trustees through revenue assumptions — including what he described as about a $5.5 million net increase in state aid across several line items, with foundation aid up roughly $2 million and other formula aid and excess‑cost aid adding approximately $1 million — and major cost drivers such as salaries, benefits and rising transportation and utilities costs. "I'll be making a presentation, a draft presentation to the board tonight with regard to the budget," Dr. Larry said, outlining the schedule that aims for a near‑final presentation on April 9, adoption April 22, a public presentation May 13 and a budget vote on May 20.

Mr. Wilson summarized a March 11 face‑to‑face meeting with regional staff from the state controller's office and said the controller asked when the budget would be ready; to meet the 30‑day requirement ahead of an April 22 board adoption, the administration said it must submit its final figures to the controller by March 21. "When we met yesterday, they said, mister Wilson, when will it be ready?" Mr. Wilson recounted. He added that if the district submits after that date the controller will still review and issue a compliance letter but that the 30‑day calendar is the metric they were being asked to meet.

Administrators said the $3.5 million gap is driven in part by higher than expected BOCES shared‑service costs and increased charter‑school tuition payments; Dr. Larry said BOCES pricing came in about 11% higher than the administration initially projected, producing roughly $1 million of the gap. To help close the shortfall, Dr. Larry said the administration is reviewing reductions and that some staffing adjustments are projected: "we're already projecting in terms of teachers perhaps 4 maybe 5," he said, and assistance roles would be reshuffled. Mr. Wilson said the budget figures include projected personnel changes by position count but that the administration is not prepared to provide individual names at this time.

Trustees pressed for more time and detail before taking any action. Trustee Jerrod Morris said he would not support "half of a plan that calls for the restructuring of personnel" without a full scope showing which positions would be affected. Board members and administrators agreed the administration will provide a more detailed, granular package — including the number of impacted positions by tenure area and role — before the next scheduled board review so the district can both meet the state submission deadlines and give trustees sufficient information to act. The district said the state is funding the fiscal monitor with a $175,000 grant (the district's share reported as $5,000), and that the budget timeline and the controller's monitoring are tied in part to outstanding deficit‑financing debt service obligations.

The administration's next steps: provide detailed position counts and a more granular budget package to trustees by the agreed date (administration indicated it would provide position counts over the coming days and a balanced budget by close of business the following Tuesday), submit required materials to the controller's office by the stated deadlines, and prepare the board to review a near‑final budget at the April 9 meeting.