East Meadow voters approved the school district’s $286.8 million budget for the 2026-27 school year on May 19 — a spending plan district officials said maintains current programs while adding new career-focused opportunities for students.
The budget passed by a vote of 1,279 to 436, or roughly 74.5 percent. Voters also re-elected Board of Education President Jessica Ricco-Simeone and Trustee David Carl, who both ran unopposed for new three-year terms. Ricco-Simeone received 1,115 votes, while Carl received 1,056 votes.
The approved spending plan totals $286,776,667, a $15.5 million, or 5.71 percent, increase over the current year’s budget. The tax levy will rise 2.86 percent, within the district’s allowable limit under the state’s tax cap formula.
District officials said the budget was designed to expand opportunities for students while remaining mindful of the tax impact on residents. The district received a 1 percent increase in state aid for the coming year, requiring officials to balance resources while sustaining and enhancing student programs, according to the district’s budget newsletter.
The budget maintains all current instructional and co-curricular programs and services, including athletic and fine arts offerings, and keeps class sizes within district guidelines. It also funds several new academic offerings, including a two-year medical assisting pathway at both East Meadow High School and W.T. Clarke High School, along with two new medical assisting labs. New courses in real estate and social media will also be added to expand students’ exposure to career-connected learning.
The medical assisting program is among the district’s larger planned instructional investments. The budget includes $250,000 for a medical assisting lab at W.T. Clarke Middle/High School and another $250,000 for a lab at East Meadow High School, according to the district’s capital projects list.
The spending plan also sets aside $3 million for capital projects and facility upgrades, including updated flooring and equipment for cardiovascular fitness rooms at both high schools. Other projects include roof repairs, flooring replacements, gym and cafeteria upgrades, parking lot work, new front signs at both high schools, a wrestling room at East Meadow High School and districtwide sitework and classroom renovations.
At W.T. Clarke, the budget also includes funding for the creation of the Clarke Café, a planned space intended to provide REACH program students with real-world learning experiences in a supportive environment. The district’s budget mailer described the project as a way to create meaningful, hands-on opportunities for students while adding a welcoming space on campus.
The budget approval comes two months after a $71.5 million bond was passed by district taxpayers. The bond will fund a wide-ranging capital improvement plan that will impact every school building in the district. Major projects include security upgrades, athletic facility improvements and infrastructure projects across East Meadow schools. Renovations and projects under the bond are considered “big ticket” items that cannot be financed under the annual budget.
On Facebook forums with the Herald since March, some voters expressed support for district spending plans to maintain East Meadow’s programs and create new opportunities for students. However, some complained that neither the bond nor the budget was well-publicized.
After the bond passed, Jeanette Santos, a resident of the district, said supporting spending plans encourages taxpayers to stay involved and expect transparency. “Supporting improvements to our schools and demanding transparency are not mutually exclusive,” she said. “We can absolutely do both — it doesn’t have to be one or the other.”
Karen Cohen, a parent of a former East Meadow student, said she was disappointed with the lower voter turnout for the budget vote.“This speaks volumes,” she stated in an email to the Herald. “If it wasn’t for someone mentioning it to me, I would not have known. The bond had very little exposure also.”
Ricco-Simeone and Carl were both first elected to the board in 2023. Ricco-Simeone, a lifelong Salisbury resident and educator in the Westbury School District, said before the election that serving on the board had been one of the greatest honors of her life. Carl, a longtime East Meadow resident and attorney, serves as bureau chief and deputy county attorney for Nassau County’s social services legal bureau.
“My work here is not finished,” Ricco-Simeone said, “and I look forward to dedicating my time to this district for another three years.”
During her first term, Ricco-Simeone said the board focused on expanding student opportunities, strengthening district leadership, supporting finances and increasing community engagement. She pointed to the launch of career-focused pathways, new district leadership hires, involvement in athletics, theater and music programs, and the district’s “Flags for Freedom” tradition.
