Voters Say Resounding 'Yes' To Mattituck-Cutchogue School Budget

MATTITUCK, NY — The public has spoken — and passed the proposed 2026 to 2027 Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District's proposed budget by a wide margin.

The budget passed by a vote of 406 to 150.

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In the race for Board of Education, incumbents Patricia Arslanian and Lorraine Warren faced off against Suzanne Martinez; the person with the third highest votes will get a one-year term after the resignation of board member Jeffrey Connolly.

Arslanian received 428 votes, Warren garnered 406, and Martinez, who will be serving the one-year term, received 386, the district said.

The district's proposed $48,257,045 budget represents an increase in spending of $1,491,603, or 3.1 percent. The tax levy increase reflects an increase from $42,167,665 to $43,275,868, or $1,108,203 — the 2.63 percent falls within the district's tax cap limit.

"Each year our school district, Board of Education and community come together to celebrate the robust and unique educational program we have built here in Mattituck-Cutchogue — one that our community has long since come to value and stand behind throughout the year," Patricia Arslanian president of the Mattituck-Cutchogue school board wrote in the district's budget message.

"This year, our district has continued to offer the smallest class sizes on the East End, providing our students with the support and guidance they need. Offering a plethora of extracurricular activities allows our elementary kids to explore areas of creativity they show an interest in outside of their academic lives while offering time for them to socialize with their peers," she said.

She added: "The Extended Learning plan in place for our youngest students has increased achievement and allowed our struggling learners to improve their academic experience. As we work to prepare our students for life after graduation, we are proud to offer programs that are aligned with college and career paths alike. Our older students are benefiting from an in-house carpentry class and AP classes that prepare them for college and the arts that highlight their stage presence, musical talents and ability to capture their creativity with paint, photography and areas of multiple media."

In addition, Arslanian said: "Our graduation rates continue to soar, and the board continues to support the administrators who lead our district every day. Our infrastructure has never been better. The completion of our high school cupola, the grounds blooming throughout the seasons in both buildings, the addition of air conditioning in both buildings and the daily maintenance that keeps our district moving is a credit to the crews that work so hard using their expertise to make repairs and the administrators that keep us informed of the work necessary to ensure our outside is as beautiful as our inside."

The proposed 2026-2027 budget, she said, "continues the momentum we have built in recent years and works to support our school community’s educational, social and emotional needs. Our board has worked diligently with our business official to identify budget efficiencies that have allowed the district to hold the budget increase under the 2 percent allowed increase and that carries a tax levy that is once again within our allowable cap."