Wantagh School District officials presented an overview of a proposed $94 million budget for the 2025-26 school year at its board meeting on Wednesday, March 12.
The proposed budget is a 3.3% increase over the $91,739,560 budget for the 2024-25 school year and initially calls for a 3% increase in the tax levy from $67,051,550 to $69,075,309, which exceeds the district’s 2.89% tax cap.
The district said the proposed tax levy in the presentation is $85,964 over the tax cap, but it plans to present a budget to voters that is below the cap.
Wantagh’s Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction K-12 Carol Ann Winans said that the district would expand its WIN program to include third graders, add a new Learning Experience and Academic Preparation class at Wantagh Middle School for special education, and a number of programs to the district’s high school.
They included one for broadcasting, one for interior and exterior construction, one for cybersecurity, and an EMT certification night course.
The district will have eight Universal Pre-K classes, the same total that Wantagh had each of the past two years. McNamara said that the projected $761,400 in state funding is also the same as what was budgeted for during the 2024-25 school year.
The district said one proposal related to the capital reserve fund will be voted on along with the approval of the budget in May.
The capital reserve request for the 2025-26 school year is $2,100,000 for partial roof repairs, ceilings, security cameras, and lighting replacements.
This will take the remaining money from the voter-approved 2018 capital reserve and an additional $109,000 from the voter-approved 2024 capital reserve. The district will also include $300,000 in the 2025-26 budget for transfer to capital for various projects.
Cedrone said that the district had $14,927,379 in its reserves on June 30, 2024, and that the district projects to have $18,183,662 in its reserves by June 30, 2025.
The district highlighted drivers for increased expenditures in the 2025-26 budget proposal. That included $316,000 for its special education program, $1,716,200 for negotiated salary increases, $218,000 for ERA, $134,000 for insurance, $210,000 for technology and security and $84,000 for transportation.
The district said that state aid will account for 24% of its proposed budget and estimates that it will receive $22,810,000 from the state. The state budget will be approved prior to the district’s budget being finalized.
The district will have its second budget meeting on March 24, where it will discuss personnel items. This will be followed by meetings on Tuesday, April 1, and Wednesday, April 2. Community members will be able to vote on the budget on Tuesday, May 20, at the district’s three elementary schools.
