Islip School Budget Revote: Revised $105.5M Plan On Ballot

ISLIP, NY — Islip School District residents will head back to the polls on June 16 to vote on a revised $105,536,108 budget for the 2026-27 school year after voters rejected the district’s original spending plan in May.

Voting will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Islip High School.

The revised proposal represents a 3.02 percent budget-to-budget increase and carries a tax levy of $69,819,657, a 1.82 percent increase from the current year.

Unlike the original budget, the revised spending plan is tax-cap compliant and requires only a simple majority to pass.

The first proposed budget, which totaled $106,244,004, was rejected by voters on May 19, with 859 voting no and 639 voting yes. That proposal carried a 2.85 percent tax levy increase, exceeding the district’s allowable 2.22 percent tax levy limit, and would have required 60 percent voter approval.

In a June 5 letter to the school community, Superintendent Dennis P. O’Hara said the defeat of the original budget sent a clear message that the community was not ready to support a tax levy increase above the allowable cap.

“In direct response to the vote, the Board of Education held a meeting on May 29, including a public forum in which residents asked questions, shared insights, and presented suggestions,” O’Hara wrote. “While it was not an easy task, the Board of Education, in a public deliberation, made decisions and reduced the expenditure budget by approximately $433,000.”

District budget documents show the revised proposal was reduced from the original failed budget by a total of $707,896, including $432,896 in expenditure reductions and the removal of a $275,000 transfer to capital.

The revised budget lowers the proposed tax impact for residents. According to district documents, the revised budget would increase taxes by an estimated $167.72 per year, or about $13.98 per month, for an average home valued at approximately $600,000.

District officials said the revised budget maintains core academic programming, extracurricular clubs and activities, interscholastic athletics, extra support services and some new programs.

However, the spending plan also includes several reductions.

Personnel reductions include the elimination of two licensed practical nurse positions. District officials said each of the district’s five schools would still retain a registered nurse, while one LPN would be assigned to the high school and middle school and another would rotate among elementary schools.

The district also plans to reduce one clerical position and one custodial position through attrition, according to O’Hara’s letter.

Program reductions include eliminating summer Regents review classes and August Regents retakes at the high school. Students who need to retake Regents exams in August would be able to enroll in similar programs in nearby districts, and the district’s counseling department would help guide families, O’Hara said.

The revised budget also eliminates summer curriculum writing, delays the purchase of large musical instruments and reduces student club funding by approximately $26,000. District officials said students will continue to have club opportunities, with reductions focused on clubs with low enrollment or overlapping interests.

The athletics budget was reduced by approximately $36,000. O’Hara said the largest reduction was made in transportation for away scrimmages, with the district looking to save money by asking other schools to visit Islip for scrimmages. The junior varsity boys tennis team will also be eliminated due to low participation over the past two seasons, though district officials said those students will be able to train with and participate at the varsity level.

Funds that supported the JV boys tennis coaching salary will be reallocated to support an assistant coach for the competitive cheer team, O’Hara said.

The revised plan also removes the $275,000 transfer to capital that had been included for the reconstruction of the high school greenhouse. District officials said the project will not be completed at this time, though the district may seek voter approval in the future to use money from the Capital Reserve Fund for the project.

The revised budget includes $56,117,581 for instruction, $25,274,936 for benefits, $13,017,709 for general support, $6,037,755 for transportation, $4,928,127 for debt service and $160,000 in interfund transfers.

Projected revenue includes $69,819,657 from the tax levy, $30,138,092 in state aid, $2,057,725 in local revenues, $2,020,634 from reserves and $1.5 million in fund balance.

If the revised budget is rejected, the district would be required to adopt a contingency budget before July 1. District officials said that would require an additional $1,246,441 in reductions to the revised proposal and would keep the 2026-27 tax levy at the current year’s $68,573,216.

District officials said the contingent budget would require the removal of non-contingent expenses, including most equipment expenditures, certain student supplies and salary increases for some employees.