Budget & Capital Proposition Pass; Xavier Palacios & William Dwyer Elected

Huntington School District residents went to the polls on Tuesday and overwhelmingly approved a budget for the 2026/27 school year and separate capital reserve fund proposition and elected Xavier Palacios and William Dwyer to serve three year terms on the Board of Education.

Residents flocked to the Huntington High School gym for voting that stretched from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. The $161,013,904 spending plan for the 2026/27 school year passed, 654-152. A proposition seeking the release of $2,115,154 million from the Building Improvement Fund for various renovation and repair projects in six separate buildings also sailed through, 690-116 .

School Board Race Results

In the race for two seats on the Huntington School Board, voters re-elected Mr. Palacios (653 votes) and elected Mr. Dwyer (644 votes).

The new terms of the winning candidates commence on July 1 and run through June 30, 2026. A total of 806 residents voted on Tuesday. Absentee ballots totaled 36. Five residents voted through the early mail option. There are about 24,000 registered voters in the district.

The budget approved by voters carries an estimated tax rate increase of 2.76 percent from 270.83 to a projected $278.30. Trustees will set the tax levy in the fall when final property assessment figures are available. The current property tax levy of $120,426,114 will increase to $123,748,530.

Tuesday’s vote culminated a budget process that saw the district striving to keep a lid on expenditures. Spending will rise 2.05 percent, due in large part to inflation and non-discretionary cost increases.

The district anticipates receiving $31,357,026 in state aid. It plans to utilize $2,568,048 in reserve fund monies to help hold down taxes.