Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Valley Stream Union Free School District 13 Board of Education offered a detailed presentation of its proposed 2026-27 budget at a meeting last week, outlining a spending plan that maintains current programs while expanding student services.
The district, which serves students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade at James A. Dever, Howell Road, Wheeler Avenue and Willow Road elementary schools, has an enrollment of just over 2,000 students.
“Whether we are planning engaging experiences in our classrooms for academic, social and emotional support, our systems of support, our ways that we engage students and their families in building community and connectedness, and our learning environment, class environments and facilities,” Lorraine Radice, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and instruction, said, “we put students at the center of all of those decisions.”
The proposed budget totals $71.96 million, an increase of $2.28 million, or 3.28 percent, over the current year’s spending plan. It includes a 2 percent tax levy increase, from $39.98 million to $40.78 million, which remains below the district’s 2.2 percent tax levy cap.
State aid is projected at $27.16 million, an increase of 5.78 percent over the current year. Officials indicated that state aid growth has slowed compared with prior years, requiring closer financial management. Additional revenue sources include roughly $350,000 in interest earnings and $90,000 in other revenue, while reserves and fund balance contributions remain at $2.7 million.
The spending plan is driven largely by routine costs, which account for about $1.78 million of the increase. These include contractual salary obligations of roughly $745,000, benefits and insurance increases approaching $600,000, and rising costs for special education, transportation and materials.
The budget maintains all existing academic programs in all grades. Enhancements include the addition of one pre-kindergarten teacher and one teacher’s aide, expanding the program from eight to nine classes. The district also plans to implement a new science curriculum, pending board approval, and to expand its mental health team by adding a second district psychologist, while maintaining existing counseling, social work and intervention services.
“It is paying dividends in terms of students feeling a sense of belonging, being able to regulate their emotions during the day, and all of this adds to more successful student outcomes,” district Superintendent Judith LaRocca said of the district’s mental health program. “We’re going to continue to invest in things that are not reactive, but are proactive.”
A new special-education teacher and a full-time teaching assistant are also budgeted, to meet increasing student needs and support small-group instruction.
Administrative additions include funding for an assistant principal at Howell Road, continuing efforts to increase leadership presence in larger buildings. The spending plan also allocates additional funding for student clubs, assemblies and field trips.
Facilities and infrastructure improvements are included in both the general budget and a separate capital reserve proposition. The district is seeking voter authorization to spend $700,000 from its capital reserve, at no additional cost to taxpayers, for projects including playground replacements at Dever and Howell, baseball field restoration at Dever and exterior door upgrades across the district.
The budget also continues District 13’s focus on maintaining lower class sizes. The projected average class size for the upcoming school year is just over 19 students, compared with 21.75 in 2018-19.
Expenditures are divided into three categories, as required by the state: program costs make up 75.7 percent of the budget, totaling $54.5 million; capital expenses account for 13.75 percent, at $9.9 million; and administrative costs total $7.5 million, or 10.5 percent.
Officials also noted ongoing financial pressures, including unfunded state mandates, rising costs for goods and services, and increased demand for special-education services. These factors, along with fluctuations in state aid, continue to influence long-term budget planning.
The district maintains reserve funds totaling about $11.8 million, as of last June, to help manage unexpected costs, employee-related expenses and future capital needs.
“We try to always maintain a deeper and decent reserve for longevity planning, as anyone here [would],” Gary Gentles, the district’s assistant superintendent for business and operations, said. “If you have this savings account, and you spend all your money and the bathroom sink blows up or something, and then you have no money, then you’re stuck.”
If the proposed budget is not approved by voters, the district could adopt a contingency budget with no tax levy increase. In that case, officials said, the district would lose $800,300 from the proposed budget, which could result in reductions to equipment purchases, extracurricular programs, capital transfers and, potentially, staffing.
The budget will be put before voters on May 19, along with additional propositions related to capital spending and the high school district budget.
