Thursday, October 1, 2026
As the 2025-26 school year begins, the Lynbrook and East Rockaway school districts’ new budgets reflect modest spending increases and a continued focus on educational programming, student support and infrastructure improvement.
Voters in Lynbrook approved a spending plan of just over $110.1 million in May, a 3.53 percent increase over the 2024-25 budget. The additional expenditures will be funded primarily with a 2.93 percent increase in property taxes, which comprise about 72 percent of total revenue. State aid contributes roughly 19 percent, and local revenue, 8 percent.
A core investment this year is a new instructional framework centered on four development areas: creative and critical thinking, real-life skills, social-emotional learning and global citizenship, Superintendent Paul Lynch said. The initiative was shaped by two years of community engagement, including nearly 800 survey responses. It aligns with changes at the state level, where diploma requirements are being re-examined to offer more personalized graduation pathways.
“It’s really cool. It’s about making it accessible to all kids,” Lynch said.
The district shifted teaching priorities by eliminating 15 full-time positions through retirements and resignations, and adding a new high school business teacher in response to growing student interest in finance- and career-focused courses.
A 35.44 percent increase in transportation expenses was mostly the result of new contracts, which grew due to market fluctuations in fuel, insurance and labor costs, Lynch said. The transportation budget also includes mandated services for students attending private and parochial schools.
Voters also approved capital improvement projects including door replacement at the Marion Street and West End schools, and a roof replacement and a new elevator at Lynbrook High School.
Employee benefits increased to nearly $26 million, with the district projecting an increase in health care costs of 10 percent per year.
The East Rockaway district’s budget of $46.97 million is 3.72 percent larger than the year just completed. It is funded primarily with a property tax levy of just over $34 million, about 72.5 percent of the total. The tax levy increased by 1.95 percent, which is below the state tax cap. Non-tax revenue, including state aid, payments in lieu of taxes and local sources, totals nearly $12.9 million, or roughly 27.5 percent of the spending plan.
Instruction continues to be the largest spending category. Michael Van Wart, assistant superintendent for finance and operations, explained that personnel costs drove much of the instructional budget increase, reflecting contractual salary obligations and staffing additions.
More than half of the district’s employees are teachers, represented by a bargaining unit with predictable year-to-year salary increases. The district added special education staff, increased full-time equivalents for certain roles and continued programs such as summer enrichment and the Summer Boost initiative for elementary students.
Van Wart described the timing of revenue inflows as one of the more difficult aspects of managing district finances. While the fiscal year begins on July 1, the district doesn’t begin receiving property tax revenue until October. State aid, he added, is paid out according to a schedule set by the State Education Department. State aid calculations are based on enrollment and financial data submitted the previous year, and are subject to revisions later in the year.
So Van Wart prepares monthly projections of revenue and expenditures, to help the district determine whether it can invest in new programming or needs to control spending. The updates allow district leaders to respond to changes — such as unexpected weather events or enrollment shifts — without jeopardizing financial stability. Contingency funds in areas like special education and transportation provide additional flexibility.
East Rockaway is also finalizing a district-wide energy performance contract that has already funded upgrades including motion-sensor lighting systems in school hallways. The restoration of the junior-senior high school’s historic cupola is another major ongoing project.
More information on the districts’ budgets and instructional initiatives is available at LynbrookSchools.org and EastRockawaySchools.org.
