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SWR district presents 2026‑27 budget with 2.84% levy; voters will decide land conveyance and historical society funding
Summary
The Shoreham‑Wading River board presented a 2026‑27 budget with a 0.8% spending increase and a proposed 2.84% tax‑levy rise, explained how a pending battery‑storage pilot payment could affect the tax cap calculation, and outlined two ballot propositions for roadway safety and a $40,000 pass‑through to the Wading River Historical Society.
Year‑ahead spending and three ballot measures were the primary focus of the Shoreham‑Wading River Central School District board’s May 5 meeting, where district staff presented the proposed 2026‑27 budget and explained implications for the tax‑levy calculation.
"Year point 8% expenditure growth with a 2.84% levy," the district’s budget presenter said, summarizing the proposal the board will put before voters on May 19. The presenter told the board the district used state aid figures from the governor’s executive budget (dated Jan. 20, 2026) because the final New York State budget had not yet been adopted.
The presentation described the budget as maintaining current programs while incorporating cost efficiencies and several strategic position reductions tied to retirements. The district noted an approximate 15% decline in high‑school enrollment (a drop of about 100 students) since the 2022–23 year, and said it eliminated six teaching positions through retirements and adjusted several support positions.
A central tax‑cap issue discussed was a potential pilot payment from a proposed battery‑storage facility on a district‑area property. The presenter said the district has not included any pilot payment in its tax‑cap calculation because there is no executed contract: "The pending pilot payment that we hear about, the proposed battery storage facility, since there is not a signed contract, is not part of this calculation." If a pilot contract is executed before the board sets the tax levy, the district may incorporate that revenue into the tax‑cap calculation.
Three propositions were described for the May 19 ballot:
- Proposition 1: the 2026‑27 expenditure budget (presented for voter approval); the district emphasized that voters approve the expenditure amount and not the revenue assumptions listed in the presentation.
- Proposition 2: conveyance or dedication of approximately 4,375 square feet at 100 Randall Road, Shoreham, to the Town of Brookhaven at no cost so the town can construct a turning lane and traffic light to improve safety at Albert G. Bridal Middle School. The presenter said the property is not used for instructional purposes and the work is planned for this summer with completion before the September school start.
- Proposition 3: a $40,000 pass‑through levy to the Wading River Historical Society and Museum under New York Education Law 259 to support the organization’s operational and maintenance expenses for fiscal 2026‑27; the district explained that the levy would increase the district’s tax levy by $40,000 but the funds would be paid to the historical society on invoice as allowed by state law.
District staff also summarized contingency planning if voters do not approve the budget, noting the legal constraints of a contingent budget (including mandated reductions and limits on transfers to capital) and an estimate that a contingent budget would require about $1.7 million in additional cuts.
Next steps: the district will publish the final budget materials and continue outreach through the district website and budget newsletter ahead of the May 19 vote. If the state budget or pilot‑payment contracts change before the levy is set, district officials said they will adjust calculations as permitted.
Sources and attributions: Budget figures and the proposition language were presented by the district’s budget presenter and discussed in the board meeting; direct quotes and figures are from the public presentation made at the May 5 board meeting.
