Thursday, October 1, 2026
Residents filled the South Side High School Commons Room to voice concerns over how the Rockville Centre Public School District plans to close a projected $3.78 million budget deficit for 2026-27.
The shortfall, first revealed at the Board of Education’s Jan. 29 work session, has sparked debate over rising costs, declining enrollment, and whether district leaders failed to plan for mounting financial pressures.
Roxanne Rizzi urged the board to make the same “difficult decisions” families face at home. She questioned the cost of smaller buildings, particularly Riverside Elementary School, which she said costs roughly $15,000 more per student due to low enrollment.
Rizzi proposed reorganizing schools — including moving administrative offices and creating a centralized UPK and kindergarten center — rather than closing buildings or cutting programs.
“It’s not okay not to have the difficult conversations,” she said during the Feb. 12 meeting. “We’re parents, we’re taxpayers, and you need to be better stewards of our money.”
Special education funding quickly became a flashpoint.
Elizabeth Carnaval pushed back on rhetoric she said unfairly frames special education students as a financial burden. Citing district budget data from 2019 to 2025, she said special education spending has declined as a share of the overall budget, from roughly 15 percent to about 13.5 percent.
She pointed to a projected $6.38 million in out-of-district placement costs next year — a 71 percent increase over 2024-25 actual spending — and called for greater transparency.
“Special education is not optional,” Carnaval said. “These students are not budget lines to be trimmed. They are children entitled to services.”
Superintendent Matthew Gaven emphasized mandated services will not be reduced.
“I want everyone to understand that clearly, because I've said it not only to the teachers, I've said it here two weeks ago, and I'll say it here again,” he said. “No one is advocating to change or not meet mandates in terms of special education students.”
Others focused on staffing and long-term planning.
Michael Schwartz, a South Side High School alumnus, questioned whether the current structure — including four assistant principals at the high school — is sustainable amid enrollment declines.
Carolyn Schwartz cited a 2021 state comptroller audit that found the district lacked a multi-year financial plan. With enrollment down 288 students over the past decade, she questioned whether administrative growth and contractual obligations had outpaced revenue.
“We have lost 288 children,” she said. “Teachers’ positions have been lost due to attrition and the teachers are the only ones on the chopping block.”
Gaven disputed claims of administrative expansion, noting the district has 23 administrators — the same as when he started — and that staff reductions have occurred through attrition, including eight teaching positions districtwide. He said contractual raises are built into collective bargaining agreements and that the state tax cap limits revenue growth to the lesser of 2 percent or inflation.
Some residents defended the board. Barry Hochhauser said the district remains a cornerstone of property values and pledged support for the eventual budget.
“You have my full support and I will be voting yes on whatever budget comes down,” he declared.
