Smithtown School Budget Preview, Candidates On Ballot for 2026-2027

SMITHTOWN, NY — Smithtown Central School District residents will head to the polls Tuesday, May 19, to vote on the district’s proposed $300,450,474 budget for the 2026-27 school year and elect members to the Board of Education.

The proposed budget represents a $5,452,019 increase over the current year’s adopted budget of $294,998,455, or a 1.85 percent increase.

District officials said the proposed spending plan maintains all current academic, extracurricular and athletic programming while continuing support for technology, professional development and stable elementary class sizes.

According to the district, the proposed tax levy would increase by 1.85 percent, remaining within the district’s allowable tax levy limit and requiring only a simple majority approval from voters.

District projections show the proposed tax rate increasing from $188.35 to $191.84 per $100 of assessed valuation. For a home assessed at $6,000, school taxes would increase by approximately $209 annually before STAR exemptions.

District officials said the proposed budget preserves strong core academic programs, special area and student support programs, athletics, extracurricular activities and district technology initiatives while continuing professional development opportunities for staff.

The budget also continues several summer learning opportunities, including Summer CAMP Academy for middle school students, Summer ENL enrichment programming, Extended School Year programming, Summer Skills programs and regional summer school opportunities.

Among the largest expenditure categories in the proposed budget are $143.88 million for salaries, $72.4 million for employee benefits, $24.35 million for contractual expenses, $21.64 million for transportation and $18.93 million for BOCES services.

Employee benefit costs alone are projected to increase by $3.39 million, or 4.91 percent, largely driven by rising health insurance and retirement costs. Health insurance expenses under the district’s SSEHP plan are projected to rise by more than $4.4 million, according to district budget documents.

To offset expenses, the district plans to use several reserve funds, including $3.47 million from the Employees’ Retirement System reserve, $2.545 million from the Teachers’ Retirement System reserve, $770,000 from the Employee Benefit Accrued Liability Reserve and $400,000 from the Dental Insurance Reserve.

The district is also projected to receive approximately $52.64 million in state aid for the 2026-27 school year, an increase of about $1.19 million from the current year.

Board Of Education Election

There are three seats open on the Smithtown Board of Education.

Candidates running are Matthew Gribbin, Brandon Solomon, Tom Minnigan and Kevin Craine. According to district filings, Matthew Gribbin and Brandon Solomon are each running for separate seats, while Tom Minnigan and Kevin Craine are competing for the same seat.

District officials said if the proposed budget were defeated twice, the district would be required to adopt a contingency budget with a 0 percent tax levy increase. According to the district, that would result in an estimated loss of approximately $4.17 million in revenue.

Voting on the proposed budget and Board of Education election will take place from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. at Smithtown Elementary School, 51 Lawrence Ave., Smithtown; Accompsett Elementary School, 1 Lincoln St., Smithtown; St. James Elementary School, 580 Lake Ave., St. James; and Nesconset Elementary School, 29 Gibbs Pond Rd., Nesconset.