District Officials Begin to Develop 2025/26 Budget

Huntington UFSD officials are busy building a draft budget to fund school district operations in 2025/26 school district budget. The finalized draft will be given to trustees and released to the public later this winter.

Principals, directors and other budget managers have been submitting their requests and attending meetings with central office administrators to review program needs.

The New York State Board of Regents has made its budget requests public. But Governor Kathy Hochul won’t release her proposal until mid-January. Changes to how so-called Foundation Aid is allotted are expected.

The district’s current year budget totals $152,277,619. Residents overwhelmingly approved the spending plan last May. It resulted in a tax rate increase of 3.46 percent. The district expects to receive $31,377,000 in state aid and $1,057,651 in miscellaneous revenues. The state aid increase amounts to $1.6 million over the year earlier.

The town assessor’s office notified the district that its final assessed valuation for the 2024/25 tax year totals $44,644,462 or $228,000 less than 2023/24.

Trustees approved a resolution last fall that sets the tax levy at $117,043,556 or $262.17 per $100 of assessed valuation.

The Regents state aid proposal calls for a $2 billion increase for the 2025/26 school year. The budget request includes:

• $1.67 billion increase in Foundation Aid, a $229.0 million increase over current law projections, including updating Census poverty rates, updating the Regional Cost Index, replacing free/reduced price meal counts with economically disadvantaged counts, and eliminating the artificial floor on the income wealth index.

• $172.9 million increase for formula enhancements, including enhanced reimbursement for BOCES aid to expand access to Career and Technical Education (CTE), enhanced special services aids for non-component BOCES, a new round of Universal Prekindergarten grants, and support for students with disabilities through age 22.

• $205.7 million increase in reimbursement-based Aid under current law

“The Board of Regents is dedicated to ensuring that all students in New York State, regardless of their background or circumstances, have access to the opportunities and resources they need to thrive academically and beyond,” Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. said. “The Board’s legislative and budget priorities aim to provide a clear roadmap for addressing the diverse needs of New York's students throughout their developmental continuum.”

Governor Kathy Hochul is expected to make her ideas known concerning state aid in January and February. A state budget is required by law to be enacted by April 1.

“It is imperative that we invest in the future of our students, the quality of their schools, and the development of the teachers and administrators who support them,” State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa said. “This year’s budget and legislative priorities will fund initiatives across the board to enhance New York students’ educations, open pathways to further learning, and improve the caliber of our workforce for years to come. At the heart of this effort is a commitment to equity, striving to ensure that every student, in every community, receives the support they need to succeed and reach their full potential.”