Locust Valley board amends transportation proposition to extend bus eligibility to 18 miles

The Locust Valley Central School District Board of Education unanimously approved amending Proposition Two to modify public-school transportation eligibility and include a maximum distance of 18 miles, the board said, up from the current 15-mile threshold cited in board policy.

Board leaders said the revision simply aligns the written policy with existing practice: the district has been providing bussing beyond statutory minima since the post-flood period and wants the ballot language to explicitly reflect those routes. The chair said the change will not increase district costs because the services are already in place.

The amended ballot language, which the board authorized for inclusion on the May 19, 2026 budget vote and election, also resets certain short-distance eligibility thresholds for lower grades as described in the proposition text. Board members emphasized that students attending non-public and parochial schools — a group the board identified as approximately 247 students across many named private schools — will continue to receive transportation.

Board members moved and seconded the resolution during the unfinished-business portion of the meeting; the motion passed unanimously. The board amended the legal notice accordingly to reflect the revised proposition wording before the May vote.

Next steps: the amended Proposition Two will appear on the May 19 ballot for voter consideration. If adopted by voters, the district said the new eligibility distances would take effect for the 2026-27 school year.