Board of Education adopts revised 2026-27 school year budget ahead of June 16 revote

The Mount Vernon Board of Education adopted a revised budget for the 2026-27 school year at its Tuesday meeting. The budget will be presented to the community for a vote on June 16, 2026. The $275,542,563 spending plan includes a 1.5% increase to the tax levy, which would allow the District to pay for increased expenses related to staff salaries and insurance benefits, maintain academic programs and continue all athletic and extracurricular offerings.

Click here to view the revised budget presentation.

“Our initial proposal for the 2026-27 school year, which included a 1.99% increase in the tax levy, was developed to maintain all programs and make improvements to our academic offerings,” said Superintendent Dr. Demario Strickland. “While it was voted down, the District still requires additional funding to continue academic and extracurricular programs for students. With reductions made to the budget, a 1.5% increase is still required to sustain all opportunities for students.” 

The District will also use funding to make improvements to special education as well as bilingual education and world languages, as required by the New York State monitor. Gifted, Talented and enrichment programs are also included in the revised budget to ensure that it continues to meet community priorities.

The tax levy increase was reduced from 1.99% to 1.50%, which results in a $737,984 reduction in revenue, after the community rejected the initial budget on May 19. State aid was also finalized last week, and the District will receive an additional $136,862 over projections stated in the initial budget. Overall, the revised budget reduces expenditures by $699,293. Revenue from other sources such as interest payments are also slightly decreasing.

To balance the budget, the District is reducing amounts budgeted for overtime by approximately 10%. Charter school expenses were also reduced due to updates in projected transportation requirements. The budget maintains all programs and fulfills state monitor requirements while still reducing the impact on the tax levy.

If the budget is not approved by voters, the Board of Education will be required by state law to adopt a contingency budget for the 2026-27 school year. An additional $4,045,851 would need to be cut from the revised budget. These cuts can only come from non-essential items and can result in increased class sizes and a reduction in work force.

Cuts would be made from art, athletics, music, electives, technology, afterschool programs, professional development and library services. The District would also be unable to reintroduce Gifted and Talented programs, and it would lack funds to settle contracts with the Civil Service Employees Association and the Mount Vernon Administrators’ Group.

“This budget maintains the integrity of our academic programs, while still providing students with enriching opportunities at all schools," said Dr. Strickland. "It also finds savings in several areas, including new areas, to reduce the impact to taxpayers without affecting instruction. If the community rejects this budget, a contingency budget that dramatically reduces programs and spending will be our only option for the 2026-27 school year.”