Westhampton Beach School Budget Sails Through With Community Support

WESTHAMPTON BEACH, NY — Voters in Westhampton Beach headed out Tuesday to cast their ballots for the 2026 to 2027 school budget and Board of Education race — and passed the budget by a wide margin.

The Westhampton Beach School District's budget passed by a vote of 208 to 55.

The library budget also passed by a vote of 226 to 37, while the museum budget passed by a vote of 214 to 48.

In the Board of Election race, two candidates ran for two seats: Renee Johnson garnered 200 votes and Heather Wright received 213.

"The Westhampton Beach School District is pleased to present its proposed 2026-2027 budget to the community," district officials said in the budget message to the community.

"The spending plan maintains the district’s strong educational and co-curricular programs while remaining within the New York State property tax cap. The proposed budget of $68,362,031 represents a budget-to-budget increase of 2.41 percent and carries a tax levy increase of 3.06 percent, which is within the district’s allowable tax levy cap," district officials said.

"Developed through a careful and collaborative planning process, the budget prioritizes academic excellence, student opportunity and fiscal responsibility while ensuring that students continue to benefit from a comprehensive curriculum, engaging extracurricular activities and innovative learning experiences that focus on critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving skills," district officials added.

"This proposed budget reflects our commitment to providing students with meaningful educational experiences while remaining mindful of the financial responsibilities we share with our community,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Carolyn Probst. “From early childhood through graduation, our programs are designed to help students develop the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to succeed in life beyond our classrooms."