South Country school board to adopt budget tonight
The South Country school board is expected to adopt a 2026-27 budget Wednesday night that could call for a more than 13% tax levy increase to fill a nearly $6 million shortfall.
The board will meet at 5 p.m. at Bellport Middle School, 35 Kreamer St. They are expected to hold an executive session, which is not open to the public, followed by a public session at approximately 7:30 p.m.
South Country's seven board members have been presented with three possible options: raise the levy by 13.45%, increase the levy by 9.26% and reduce the budget by an additional $3 million or absorb the $5.67 million shortfall by cutting more positions and programs.
The first two options would pierce South Country’s tax levy cap of 5.52%, meaning at least 60% of the voters would have to approve the budget in the May 19 public vote.
Seeking an override has historically been difficult and would come at a time when taxpayers have questioned how district officials handled past budgets.
The state’s deputy comptroller earlier this month found district officials significantly underbudgeted costs and used one-time funding for recurring expenses.
Public criticism
District officials have faced criticism over their handling of the budgeting process and oversight of the district’s finances.
Before a school board meeting on Monday, Gregory C. Miglino Jr., a former board member, called on the state Attorney General’s office to investigate. The Attorney’s General’s office on Tuesday declined to comment.
A separate petition circulated by parents called for Superintendent Antonio Santana to step down, saying he has been “ineffective and incompetent.” Abena Asare, a parent, said more than 110 community members have signed the petition.
Santana did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has previously said that the district has implemented stronger internal controls and fiscal oversight.
Critics have pointed to the district’s overspending of the voter-approved 2024-25 budget by $3.5 million.
Despite freezing discretionary spending since last fall, the comptroller’s office projected the district will have a $10.5 million deficit by the end of June. For 2026-27, the district is facing a $5.67 million shortfall even after eliminating dozens of staffing positions.
Some board members at Monday's meeting appeared to lean toward piercing the tax levy cap to preserve core educational programs.
John Belmonte, the district's acting assistant superintendent for finance and management services, said the district has already shaved nearly $9 million off its $150.5 million spending plan, including an additional two administrative jobs since a budget presentation last week.
Any further reduction, he said, would mean going down to “the meat and the bones.”
“It would really cut into South Country as we've known it,” school board president E. Anne Hayes said.
Marian McKenna, a former board member and a Bellport resident, said before Monday's meeting that school officials’ handling of district finances was “sheer neglect." As a real estate agent, she said she has seen people struggling financially and they would not be able to afford such a tax hike.
“People can't afford their homes,” she said. “I'm watching homes going into foreclosure again, and the taxes are a big part of it.”
But, she said, “We can't afford to lose teachers; we can't afford to lose programs...I'm worried about the children. … There's no easy answer.”
Check back for updates on this developing story.
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
