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Manhasset board approves $118.95 million 2026–27 budget, sets capital reserve proposition for voters
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Summary
The Manhasset Board of Education approved a $118,948,591 budget for 2026–27 and will place a $1.7 million capital‑reserve expenditure proposition before voters on May 19; district officials said the plan stays within the 3.44% tax‑levy limit.
The Manhasset Board of Education approved the district’s proposed $118,948,591 budget for the 2026–27 school year during its regular meeting, and administrators said voters will also decide whether to authorize a $1.7 million withdrawal from the district’s capital reserve to fund building upgrades.
Gerard, the district administrator who presented the figures, said, “The proposed budget is a $118,948,591,” and described a $3.9 million (3.39%) budget‑to‑budget increase that remains within the district’s calculated tax‑levy limit of 3.44 percent.
The administration told the board the budget prioritizes smaller class sizes, expansion of computer‑science and biomedical pathways, additional high‑school course offerings (including mandated personal‑finance coursework), instructional technology refreshes, cybersecurity investments and continued capital‑level maintenance.
Gerard also outlined a separately proposed $1.7 million capital‑reserve expenditure—drawn from a reserve the administration reported at roughly $7 million—to pay for gym padding and sound upgrades, bathroom and classroom renovations, unit ventilator replacements, conversion of a middle‑school common area to meeting rooms, and districtwide security upgrades including additional license‑plate readers at elementary sites. Gerard said that expenditure requires community approval and will appear as proposition number 2 on the May 19 ballot; proposition 1 will be the budget.
Board chair Mister Post framed the increase as a response to inflation and contract obligations, saying the proposal reflects both cost pressures and the board’s priorities. The board opened the floor for community discussion; none was offered. After a motion and second, the board approved the budget during the meeting (outcome: approved). The record does not include a detailed roll‑call tally for the budget motion in the transcript.
The administration pointed voters to the district’s voter‑information page for absentee and early‑voting details; absentee ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on May 19 and the regular vote was scheduled for May 19, 7 a.m.–9 p.m., at the high school gymnasium.
What’s next: the budget and the capital‑reserve proposition will be decided by district voters on May 19. The district said it will post additional materials online ahead of the vote so residents can review line‑item information and the proposition language.
