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East Hampton's board of education discusses the adopted budget for the 2025-26 school year during an April 21 meeting.
The East Hampton Board of Education unanimously approved to adopt an $88,140,847 budget for the 2024-25 school year.
The spending plan that will be presented to voters next month is a 6.34 percent, or $5,254,855, increase from this current year’s spending plan. It also carries a $65,677,860 tax levy, which is 5.34 percent, or $3,331,386, increase from this current year’s, and is compliant with the state’s cap on tax levy increases.
“The voters were very generous last year in allowing us to pierce the cap, so this year we wanted to come in property tax compliant,” Assistant Superintendent for Business Sam Schneider said.
In the budget is an appropriation to maintain all of the existing programs for students while also expanding on some and adding others. Baked into the budget is also $1.6 million to cover the cost of replacing the boilers at John M. Marshall Elementary School, which has been labeled an emergency project.
“We got through this past winter, but barely,” Schneider said. “We also have a little cushion in the budgeted amount for some maneuverability depending on what they find when they take the boilers apart.”
If voters approve the budget, that work would begin in July.
The adopted budget will be presented to the community during a May 6 hearing. The annual budget vote and trustee election will take place on May 20, from 1 to 8 p.m. in the High School Board of Education room.
