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Port Washington administrators outline 2026–27 preliminary budget, propose HVAC and repair-reserve propositions
Summary
Superintendent and business officials presented a preliminary 2026–27 budget showing a 3.43% appropriation increase and staffing adjustments; the administration proposed two reserve-related propositions and a $3.5 million HVAC appropriation to be voter-authorized in May.
Superintendent Doctor Posse and Business Official Miss Manuel presented the Port Washington Union Free School District’s preliminary 2026–27 budget and associated propositions at the board’s March 24 meeting. The proposal would keep the property tax levy within the district’s allowable 3.25% while showing a 3.43% increase in the appropriation budget.
The administrators said the budget reflects $172 million in projected revenue and assumes state-aid increases under current legislative proposals. ‘‘We will be appropriating $2,000,000 to offset the tax levy, as well as use of our reserves of $800,000,’’ Miss Manuel said during the presentation. She also recommended establishing a repair reserve that would require a public hearing and two-thirds board approval to access funds in an emergency.
The presentation included a recommendation for a third proposition seeking voter approval to appropriate up to $3,500,000 from the capital reserve for HVAC upgrades where needed. Administration explained a prior May 2024 appropriation of $4,055,000 for electrical infrastructure work; subsequent diagnostics showed three buildings did not require additional main-service upgrades, which frees amounts to return to the capital reserve.
On staffing, administration said roughly 73% of the budget supports staffing and proposed a net increase of 5.6 full-time teaching positions. Additions include elementary instructional coaches, a music teacher, a business teacher, a high-school adaptive physical-education teacher, an additional elementary math AIS teacher, and a special-education teacher for expanded integrated co-teaching at the high school. The proposal also includes a district-level director position for mathematics, business and computer science plus a 0.6 instructional coach at the secondary level to preserve some building-level leadership.
Board members asked for clarifications about the director role, paraprofessional reductions driven by enrollment, and how device leases and the technology refresh will be timed with the budget cycle. Administration said device financing and lease packages will be finalized after budget adoption and noted potential e-rate reimbursements.
The board scheduled a final adoption vote for April 14; administration said the budget, if adopted, will proceed to a public hearing on May 5 and the district vote on May 19.
