Budget Articles and Community Info

The Mount Vernon City School District is committed to delivering rigorous, robust Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs, with multiple career pathways available for students after graduation. The 2026-27 budget ensures that students have a breadth of opportunities to get a head start on their professional journeys in eight state-approved CTE graduation pathways. 

The Mount Vernon PTA Council is hosting a 2026-2027 Budget Presentation followed by a School Board Candidates Forum at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Denzel Washington School of the Arts. Families and community members can submit any questions they would like to ask the candidates at the forum by clicking here.

The 2026-2027 Mount Vernon City School District budget begins to address the over $400 million in facility repairs identified in the most recent building condition survey. Facilities spending will increase by 5.8%, with the department working to ensure safety and security, support flexibility, promote effective classroom design, maximize resource efficiency, and sustain long-range planning. 

You can read more about facilities expenses by reviewing the budget book and budget newsletter, which provide a comprehensive overview of the 2026-27 budget. The budget vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.

The Mount Vernon City School District’s 2026-27 budget makes significant investments to academic priorities to support students and instructional goals, despite fiscal constraints. The District has held a designation of ‘significant fiscal distress’ from the New York State Comptroller’s Office for the past six years, but improvements to financial oversight and planning have been underway all school year, leading to a budget that maps the path to fiscal stability.

You can read more about the budget by clicking here to view the budget book and clicking here to view the budget newsletter, which provide a comprehensive overview of the spending plan. The budget vote will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.

The proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year, which Mount Vernon voters will consider on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, includes $40 million in special education expenses, an increase of 25% from the current school year. 

The Mount Vernon City School District’s 2026-27 budget, which will be voted on by the community on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, is funded through property taxes, state and federal aid, and local revenue sources. The $276,241,856 budget is made up of 53% property taxes, 44.4% state aid, and 2.6% of local revenue, such as interest from District bank accounts. The District also receives federal aid through Title I and other grants. With these funds, the District will implement recommendations from the New York State Monitor’s academic and financial plans, such as adding a Director of Bilingual Education and World Languages. School district administration is also finding efficiencies within existing funds – in part through central office reorganization – and leveraging Title funds for Gifted, Talented and enrichment programs, as well as adding math support specialists.
 

A Letter from the Board of Education: On April 7, 2026, the Board of Education unanimously adopted the City School District of Mount Vernon’s proposed budget for the 2026–2027 school year. The proposed budget will be presented to voters on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. We are grateful to Superintendent Dr. Demario A. Strickland and the entire district team for the careful, collaborative work that produced a budget honest about our challenges and clear about the path forward for our students.

Per New York State Education Department (NYSED) data compiled on Datawrapper (https://www.datawrapper.de/_/gwj66/), the Mount Vernon City School District was ranked 10th out of 39 school districts in Westchester County in per student spending at $37,451 per student in the 2023-24 school year, the most recent year that public data is available. While the district spends less per student than nine Westchester school districts, it also faces some of the highest expenses in the county.

The Mount Vernon City School District's 2026-27 budget bolsters Career and Technical Education (CTE) offerings for students through eight state-approved graduation pathways available at Mount Vernon High School. 

The annual budget vote and trustee election will be held from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. You can read more about our budget and voting information by visiting the budget page on our website (tinyurl.com/5t5x3y86) or reviewing the 2026-27 budget book (tinyurl.com/mrysvt9k). 

Community members will vote on a $276.2 million budget, which includes a 1.48% increase in spending and a 1.99% increase to the tax levy, on Tuesday, May 19, 2026. The increase in the tax levy is well below the 2.6% tax cap set by the state, and it is lower than many districts across the area who are also navigating the rising costs of education.  

There are two more opportunities to listen to live community forums with Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland regarding next year’s school budget. The District welcomes Mount Vernon residents to attend and ask questions! These events are a part of a series of seven community forums around the city of Mount Vernon.  To view past live streamed community forums, please click here. All sessions are live streamed through the website and Facebook for those who cannot attend. 

The upcoming dates are:

• Monday, May 4 at Greater Centennial Church at 6:30 p.m.
• Thursday, May 14 at Hamilton School from 6-8 p.m., where a translator will be present for Spanish speaking families.

Dr. Demario Strickland, Superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District, discussed the draft budget for the 2026-27 school year with community members Tuesday evening at Pennington School. To view the presentation, click here. To read more about the last community forum, detailing his presentation, click here. To watch the full presentation, click here. 

The Mount Vernon City School District’s draft proposed budget for the 2026-27 school year will be presented from 6 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 14, at Hamilton School, by Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland. Please attend to learn more about how the District plans to invest in its schools in the upcoming year, provide feedback, and ask questions about the budget. The presentation will also be livestreamed on our Facebook and website. The annual budget vote and school board election will be held on Tuesday, May 19

Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland presented the draft budget for the 2026-27 school year to the community at Graham School on Thursday evening. The draft budget was approved by the Board of Education on Tuesday, April 7 and includes a 1.99% increase to the tax levy, which is below the tax cap prescribed by the state. Click here to watch the full presentation or click here to view the PowerPoint.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN the Annual School Board/Budget Vote Election will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; for the purpose of electing three (3) members of the Board of Education of the City School District of the City of Mount Vernon, New York, to serve for a full term of three (3) years, beginning the first day of July, 2026, and expiring on the thirtieth day of June, 2029.

Dr. Demario Strickland, Superintendent of Schools, presented the Mount Vernon City School District’s early draft budget for the 2026-27 school year on February 26 and again on March 24, where he explained the school district’s sources of revenues and expected expenditures.

Click here to view the presentation.

Click here to view video of the March 24 presentation.

Dr. Demario Strickland, Superintendent of the Mount Vernon City School District held his second community forum on Monday, February 9 at Mount Vernon High School to connect with the community and discuss budget priorities for the upcoming school year. He answered questions and concerns about the topic while reviewing results from the budget survey distributed in December. 

To read about the presentation, click here. 

To read about feedback from the budget priority survey, click here.

View the budget calendar here. Visit the budget page by clicking here.

Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland met with the community at Graham School on Monday evening to discuss budget priorities and answer questions about the 2026-27 school year budget. 

The next community forum will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Monday, February 9, at Mount Vernon High School. 

Mount Vernon City School District Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland provided testimony in Albany at the Joint Legislative Public Hearing on the 2026 New York State Executive Budget. Dr. Strickland advocated for legislation to support the District, including Foundation Aid funding reform and support of Assembly Bill A6827, which “relates to the establishment of multi-year cost allowances for the Mount Vernon (City) School District.”

New York State Education Department Commissioner Dr. Betty A. Rosa, New York Senators Jamaal Bailey & Shelley Mayer, along with Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow and Regent Frances Wills, met with Superintendent of Schools Dr. Demario Strickland at the Board of Education Friday morning to discuss the state’s monitoring of the Mount Vernon City School District.

Dr. Demario A. Strickland, Superintendent of Schools: 

The Mount Vernon City School District was re-designated as a district in fiscal stress for the school year ending on June 30, 2025, by the New York State Comptroller. This score reflects the district finances from last school year, with several actions already taken to improve the district’s fiscal health and sustainability. 

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Demario Strickland presented community feedback on budget priorities for the 2026 - 2027 school year to the Board of Education Tuesday evening. The District conducted a survey in December to hear from community members and stakeholders about what they think is essential for the 2026 -27 budget.