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Dr. Sampson previews 2025–26 budget, highlights community outreach and staffing pressures
Summary
Superintendent Dr. Sampson outlined the proposed 2025–26 budget, noting small staffing increases (about 1% of the budget) and long-term tax-levy trends, previewed community presentations and transparency tools, and publicly thanked a custodian who performed a life-saving Heimlich maneuver.
Dr. Sampson, the district superintendent, used the board meeting to preview the proposed 2025–26 superintendent’s budget and to describe community outreach around the proposal. He said the staffing increases in the plan amount to about 1% of the total budget, with compliance-driven staffing accounting for less than 1%.
Saying the district has sought to make budget information transparent, Dr. Sampson pointed to public presentations, an FAQ on the district website and mailed materials sent to residents. ‘‘Every line item is there, for review,’’ he said, and described follow-up presentations at schools and a local summit hosted at the Nautilus Diner by the League of Women Voters Larchmont–Mamaroneck.
Dr. Sampson framed the budget context with district-level funding trends: ‘‘Since 2009, that average increase in the tax levy per pupil is 1.34%. Inflation runs somewhere close to 4% at that point in time. Over the past 4 years, it’s almost 5%.’’ He added that those differences compound over time and constrain what the district can do.
The superintendent also described efforts to refine student transitions, incoming ninth-grade orientation sessions and career-technical education options. He said the district is exploring CTE pathways, internships and small-group personalized programs observed during a recent trip to a network of ‘‘League of Innovative Schools’’ districts.
Dr. Sampson recognized Hammocks custodian Hector Cornier, saying Cornier performed the Heimlich maneuver to help a choking sixth grader and asking the board and community to acknowledge his action.
The superintendent said community members have been engaged in questions about special-education staffing and the budget’s staffing assumptions; he encouraged residents to review online materials and attend presentations. A public budget presentation was scheduled for tonight at Homicks Middle School at 6:30 p.m., with translation available. The board will consider adoption of the budget at a board meeting on May 20, 2025.
