Friday, July 11, 2025
The Sewanhaka Central High School District presented their second budget workshop for the 2025-26 fiscal year during the Board of Education meeting on March 25 at Sewanhaka High School. Superintendent Regina Agrusa and Kevin O’Brien, the district’s assistant superintendent of finance and operations, presented the budget in three parts— administration, programs and capital— and shared changes and updates to the district’s curriculum and buildings.
The final budget workshop and adoption will take place on April 23 during the Board of Education meeting at Sewanhaka High School. The final budget vote will be held on May 20.
More details about the budget are available at SewanhakaSchools.org.
1. Budget numbers
The proposed 2025-26 total general budget is $264,214,795. This is an increase of about $8.5 million from the current fiscal year. State aid for 2025-26 is projected at about $75 million, and district revenue is roughly $188 million. According to O’Brien, the total tax levy is $171,087,934, which is a 2.91 percent increase from the current fiscal year. Because this is within the tax levy limit, it will only require 50 percent of the vote to pass. The district is also seeking to establish a capital reserve allowing them to make facility improvements in the district’s Five-Year Capital Plan at no cost to taxpayers. The source of funding will be surplus monies or unexpended, unassigned fund balances in the general fund at the end of each school year going forward.
2. New curriculums
According to Agrusa, Sewanhaka will be administering district wide midterms aimed at improving Regent’s scores. Diagnostic exams will also be introduced for seventh graders, which Agrusa said would help teachers understand what educational areas need to be addressed to make students’ transition from elementary to middle school seamless. The school also announced the extension of Dual Enrollment course offerings, English as a New Language program, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math programs, professional development, and co-teaching in ENL and Special Education classes. Sewanhaka will be updating its curriculums in Biology, Earth and Space Science, Algebra II, Studio Art, Entrepreneurship, Child Psychology, and World Language.
3. Capital improvements
The Sewanhaka school district will be upgrading its school buildings and grounds. Agrusa said the district will be creating and implementing new classrooms for two Career and Technical Education programs— Medical Assistance and Cosmetology. The building is currently under construction on the corner of Landau Avenue, and Agrusa said it is projected to be finished in September. Additional capital improvement projects are underway, O’Brien added, including a new public address system at Elmont Memorial High School, roof replacements at Floral Park and Sewanhaka high schools, and vacuum and condensate pump replacements at H. Frank Carey and New Hyde Park high schools. The district expects to use the proposed capital reserve to fund future projects.
