The Oyster Bay-East Norwich Board of Education unanimously adopted a $67.7 million budget for the 2025-2026 school year, an approximate $2.1 million increase from the current year’s budget.
The budget, which was adopted at the board meeting on Tuesday, April 22, will be voted on by the community on May 20.
Last year, the district approved a $65.6 million budget with an approximately $58.1 million tax levy. In the adopted 2025-2026 budget, the district proposes a $67.7 million budget with a $59.8 million tax levy.
Deputy Superintendent Maureen Raynor said the district’s allowable tax levy maximum for the 2025-2t26 budget is 2.91%, representing the $1.7 million increase. She said the tax levy accounts for 88% of the district’s revenues.
Raynor said state aid accounts for 5% of the district’s revenues, and all other revenues make up 7%. She said the district expects to receive almost $4.4 million in state aid, a 7.05% increase from the previous year.
As of the 2024-2025 district enrollment data, calculated by the state in October, the district comprises 1,345 students. If the adopted $67.7 million budget is approved, the district will spend approximately $50,402 per pupil if enrollment remains steady, according to a calculation made by Schneps Media Long Island.
Raynor said the budget is divided into three expenditure categories: programming, administrative, and capital. The programming component, which includes general education costs, accounts for 76.1% of the proposed budget, an increase from last year’s approved 75.6%.
“The cost that has gone up has been the program costs, which are the ones that directly affect our students. We are reallocating the resources to make sure our students have what they need,” Raynor said.
Raynor said two propositions besides the budget will be on the ballot to approve the use of capital reserves.
Proposition No. 2 authorizes the use of $485,000 from its technology capital reserves for student, staff and classroom device upgrades, and Proposition No. 3 authorizes the use of $990,000 from its reserves to fund capital projects, including districtwide roof repairs, renovations at the high school parking lot and Theodore Roosevelt School cafeteria renovations, she said.
Raynor said the district expects to replenish its capital reserves from excess fund balance and interest income.
The budget vote will be on May 20 in the Oyster Bay High School choir room from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., Raynor said.
Raynor, who has worked in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich district for four years, was granted tenure by the board in a unanimous vote.
“Maureen, in a very short period of time, became an essential component of our district,” Superintendent Francesco Ianni said.
He said she works “tirelessly behind the scenes” and that her time in the district has been “nothing short of amazing.”
