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Pleasantville school board adopts trimmed 2026-27 budget, cuts reduced to 29 positions
Summary
The Pleasantville Board of Education voted May 5 to adopt "Option B" of the 2026-27 budget, holding the tax levy to a 2% increase while cutting the number of proposed staff reductions from about 52 to 29 and reducing the district's requested healthcare adjustment by half.
The Pleasantville Board of Education on May 5 voted to approve its 2026-27 budget under "Option B," a plan that keeps a 2% tax levy while reducing proposed staffing cuts and splitting a healthcare-cost adjustment so it is smaller than the original proposal.
Acting Superintendent Dr. Felicia Jaime Medley and Business Administrator Dale White presented the budget at a public hearing and explained the district faced an approximate $23 million gap between planned spending and expected revenue. White told the board the district's total state aid for 2026-27 is approximately $97.37 million and the proposed revenue mix (including a tax levy and federal grants) produced a working budget of about $123.28 million.
"The reduction journey consisted of additional healthcare and salary adjustments, decreased federal grants and capital-project deferrals," White said, laying out the components that produced the shortfall and subsequent cuts.
The board considered two staffing scenarios. Option A, the originally submitted budget, included roughly 52 staff reductions and a full healthcare-cost adjustment (about $2.44 million). Option B reduces the healthcare adjustment by 50% (about $1.22 million) and lowers the number of staff cuts to about 29, while keeping the 2% tax-levy increase.
"Option A requires more money from taxpayers but cuts more staff. Option B saves taxpayers more and cuts fewer positions," White said, summarizing the tradeoffs.
During public comment and questioning, community members asked for a program-by-program list of contracted services and supplies savings; Medley said staff would provide a list and that sports programs would not be cut. Board members pressed for details on which positions would be eliminated; Medley said exact names and positions could not be released during the hearing because personnel actions were still in process, but she agreed to provide an itemized department-level list later.
After discussion, the board made and seconded a motion to adopt Option B. The roll call vote recorded the following board members voting "yes": Miss Akins, Miss Harris, Mister Rodriguez, Miss Sanchez, Miss Rowell, Miss Waters and one additional member who confirmed on the roll; the motion carried.
The board directed staff to post the approved budget to the district website within 48 hours and to submit the adopted budget package to the county office, which had previously accepted the district's preliminary submission on April 29. White told the board that once the county receives the board's approved changes, the county will be aware of the revisions and the document on file will reflect tonight's action.
Board members closed the budget item by thanking district staff and the interim superintendent for work to reduce the deficit while minimizing program impacts. The board then proceeded to executive session for a personnel negotiation related to the acting superintendent's stipend.
Ending: The board approved Option B and voted to submit the adopted budget to the county; staff will provide requested lists and additional detail at the next meeting or in a follow-up report.
