The Wantagh School District is eyeing a $100.4 million budget with a 3.48% tax levy increase for the 2026-2027 school year, according to a presentation given at a Monday, March 9 meeting.
Wantagh Superintendent John McNamara said the district’s first draft of the upcoming academic year’s budget projects it at $100,374,556 with the goal to lower that number to $97,637,668. The March 9 draft of the budget marks a $5,658,420, or a 6% increase from the district’s $94,716,136 budget for the current school year.
Anthony Cedrone, the district’s assistant superintendent for business, said the increased tax levy is due to the district paying more than $700,000 in debt services to repay a 2022 voter-approved bond.
He said the district’s tax levy has been 11% below the inflation rate from 2013 through the current budget.
“We do the best we can with the tools that we have,” Cedrone said about the district having a consistent tax levy over the past decade as costs and inflation have fluctuated.
The district is currently operating under a budget with a 2.89% tax levy increase from the previous school year.
McNamara said the district continues to have clean financial audits, a continued stable financial condition and a 0.0 fiscal stress score from the state comptroller’s office, the lowest possible score.
McNamara presented that the district has 2,854 students enrolled and that its total spending for the 2026-2027 budget per pupil is $32,399.19.
“In terms of being efficient and in terms of providing good quality per dollar, you can see that we really work to achieve that each and every day,” he said.
Cedrone said the major drivers of the district’s expenses include negotiated salary increases, insurance increases, transportation and set services, which combine for more than an extra $5 million of expenses in the 2026-2027 budget.
Carol Ann Winans, the district’s executive director of curriculum and K-12 instruction, said the district is planning to expand its universal pre-kindergarten program and adopt an enhanced literary program in its elementary schools during the upcoming school year. She said the district also plans to continue its expansion of LEAPS and ACE programs for special education students, including teaching financial literacy for sixth and seventh graders, continue its expansion of its Science Research Academy at the district’s high school and expand its broadcasting and theater programs.
McNamara said the district is likely to have its largest number of students in its universal pre-K program during the 2026-2027 school year, with 162 students expected across nine classes. He said that the enrollment number is dependent on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s executive budget, which has a deadline of April 1 to be finalized.
The district’s budget estimates $23,415,000 in state aid, which accounts for 23% of the budget. McNamara said the proposed $1.28 million increase in state aid from the current school year will help offset some of the increasing expenses in the 2026-2027 budget.
Cedrone said the district projects to have $18,971,000 in its fund reserve at the end of the current school year.
The district will hold two more public budget forums this month before the board of education is scheduled to adopt it in April. The community will vote on the proposed budget on Tuesday, May 19.
A proposition on the May ballot will also decide the fate of the district’s property at 1865 Beech St., which the board of education approved to sell for $1.1 million in February.
The 121-year-old building, located at 1865 Beech St., was most recently leased to Wee Friends Nursery for use as a preschool and summer day camp, but the lease ended in 2024 and the building has remained vacant since and requires significant repairs, according to the district.
