TheGreat Neck School DistrictBoard unanimously adopted a $297.4 million budget for the 2026-27 school year Tuesday night, advancing a plan that maintains current programs while staying within the state tax cap.
The $297,375,950 spending plan represents a 2.54% increase over the current year and is supported by a 3.04% tax levy increase, which remains within the state’s cap formula and requires only a simple majority vote from residents on May 19.
Deputy Superintendent John O’Keefe, presenting the final budget review, said the plan reflects months of work balancing rising costs with program stability.
“Each year we spend six months building the budget,” he told the board, noting the process involves administrators across the district.
The proposal includes approximately $7.4 million in additional spending year over year, with adjustments made through retirements, updated salary projections and shifting certain costs into the current year to reduce pressure on next year’s budget.
The budget also includes nearly $12 million in capital improvements, along with a separate ballot proposition seeking voter approval to use up to approximately $5 million from the district’s capital reserve for athletic field upgrades at South High School, with no additional tax impact.
O’Keefe also addressed questions about the long-term maintenance costs of the district’s planned turf fields, including the North Middle School field approved by voters last year and the proposed South High School project. The district previously reviewed cost differences between turf and grass options as part of its planning process, he said, and factored those considerations into its long-term facilities strategy.
Board members praised the presentation’s clarity and voted unanimously to adopt both the budget and the required property tax report card.
In a separate presentation, Diana Haanraadts, assistant superintendent for elementary education, along with Michelle Bell, Parkville School principal, and Ron Gimondo, John F. Kennedy School principal, outlined a proposal to expand the district’s half-day pre-K program into a full-day model. Officials said the change could provide more instructional time, strengthen early learning outcomes and reduce costs for families who currently pay for extended program options.
The proposed shift would also position the district ahead of a potential statewide mandate for full-day universal pre-K in the coming years.
Source: LI Press
