Shoreham-Wading River board hears 2026–27 budget proposing 0.80% increase and 2.84% tax-levy

The Shoreham-Wading River Central School District on March 3 heard a detailed presentation of the proposed 2026–27 budget that would increase overall expenditures by 0.80% and raise the tax levy by 2.84%.

"The 2627 budget has a point 80% year to year increase, presents a 2.84% levy, maintains all current programs," said Glenn Ocuri, who presented the spending plan and outlined line-by-line reviews used in its development. He said the proposal reduces the district's reliance on fund balance by about 22% and includes a transfer to the capital fund for maintenance projects.

The budget includes roughly $1.7 million in strategic savings, Ocuri said, primarily the result of retirements and internal reorganization. He highlighted several staffing changes that produce savings: promoting the assistant director of technology to director and eliminating the assistant slot, eliminating one high-school clerical position, consolidating monitor positions, reducing some teaching-assistant hours in classrooms and not refilling six retirements.

Ocuri cautioned that federal grants supporting special-education salaries — identified in the presentation as the '611' and '619' grants — remain a risk. "If they were to eliminate the 611 grant, we would definitely have an impact," he said, adding that the district would then need to consider using the unassigned fund balance to cover positions funded by those grants.

The presentation also covered the tax-levy limit calculation. Ocuri said pilot payments and a potential energy-performance contract are not included in the current levy calculation because those items are not finalized. Building-aid estimates used in the presentation were taken from the governor's executive run as of Jan. 20, 2026.

Three propositions were previewed for the May ballot. Proposition 1 is the budget proposition itself. Proposition 2 would convey roughly 4,400 square feet of district land along Randall Road to the Town of Brookhaven to allow roadway work — including a turning lane and a traffic signal — that the town would construct; the district would relocate its sign and keep control of the signal's timing. "The benefits of this improvement project definitely makes the front entrance safer," Ocuri said.

Proposition 3 was presented as conditional: a petition requested $40,000 be included in the tax levy for the Wading River Historical Society, but Ocuri said the board is waiting for confirmation that the organization is chartered by the Board of Regents before the board would be required to place that item on the ballot.

Board members asked several operational questions and requested more detail on which classrooms would see reduced TA hours and how retirements might affect reading support. A resident who submitted questions by email asked specifically whether reductions would affect special-education classrooms and the district's ability to meet strategic-plan reading goals; the board said it will include answers in the next budget presentation.

The board conducted routine votes on consent items and resolutions during the meeting; many were approved unanimously or by roll call tallies included in the record. The district will return with additional budget detail, special-education technology items and final revenue numbers after the state adopts its budget later in March and April.