---

---

WHAT IS A SCHOOL BUDGET?

 

---

WHAT DRIVES THE SCHOOL BUDGET?

 

Our budget is driven by several key factors that determine how much money is needed and how it is spent. Student enrollment is one of the biggest drivers, because the number of students affects staffing needs, class sizes, transportation, supplies, and state aid. Employee costs, including salaries, health insurance, and pensions, also make up a large portion of the budget. Insurance costs can rise from year to year and significantly impact spending. In addition, special education services, technology, building maintenance, utilities, and transportation all influence the budget. Finally, our long-term planning goals help shape how funds are allocated to ensure that we support student achievement and success. 

Take a look at the chart below to view the significant budget drivers over the past five years. You can see how much just these three areas have increased.

Other factors affecting the budget include:

• Enrollment: while the District's public school enrollment remains relatively stable, the number of students attending non-public schools is steadily increasing. This affects our transportation costs, as we transport students to more than 90 non-public schools.

• Special Education: As the number of classified students increase, so does the budget, as we work to ensure that all students have access to the best education in the least-restrictive environment.

 

---

WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM?

As you can see from the pie chart below, most of our revenue comes from the tax levy. The levy is supplemented by State Aid, PILOTS (payments in lieu of taxes), transfers from our reserve accounts (think savings accounts), and small other revenues.

IMPORTANT TO KNOW: The District does NOT set the amount each homeowner pays in school taxes. We set the TOTAL amount needed in taxes, and the Nassau County Department of Assessment determines how much each resident pays!

---

 

WHERE DOES THE MONEY GO?

The pie chart below shows how we allocate our budget across key areas. The largest portion of funding is dedicated to instructional programs, reflecting our student-centered priority to support learning and academic success. Additional funds are distributed to employee benefits, operations and maintenance, and transportation, which together ensure that schools remain staffed, safe, and accessible for all students.

Education is a "PEOPLE BUSINESS."

A significant percentage of our budget funds staff salaries and benefits:

---

THE BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Each year, the budget development process begins in the fall and continues through the School Budget Vote in May.