Oceanside board presents $192.4 million budget, cites $18 million revenue loss under LIPA glide path

The Oceanside Union Free School District presented a proposed $192,419,398 operating budget for 2026–27 and recommended a 2.28% tax-levy increase, administrators told the Board of Education at its March 18 meeting.

Dr. Coakley said the district had completed its review and “now have a final proposed expenditure budget of 192,419,398 dollars,” and described a budget-to-budget increase of 3.06 percent. The board scheduled a budget vote for May 19, 2026, with a budget hearing set for May 6.

Why it matters: district leaders flagged continuing fiscal pressure from inflation and long-term state revenue shifts. “Since the ’22–’23 school year, we have lost approximately over 18 million dollars,” Dr. Coakley said of the LIPA glide path impact, adding the district has sought to preserve programs and staff while using reserves and other strategies to absorb the reduction.

The presentation broke down spending and staffing changes that would accompany the budget. Dr. DeRosa summarized staffing adjustments including two additional elementary sections district-wide, a K–12 literacy continuum that transitions an existing high-school teacher to support literacy across grades, and a reallocation that reduces some teacher-assistant roles while adding certified special-education teachers.

Revenue side: administrators said the district projects roughly $41.6 million in preliminary state aid—about $2.8 million more than the prior year—but noted only a portion of that is “new money.” Dr. Coakley told the board the district forecasts approximately $16 million in local-source revenue (including PILOTs and interest income, the latter conservatively projected at $3 million) and plans to use modest appropriated fund balance to partially offset the tax impact.

Capital projects and ballot items: the board reviewed a capital reserve proposition of about $5.7 million for Oceanside High School improvements, including track resurfacing, concrete and fence replacement, new bleacher pads, major student-bathroom renovations, and air conditioning for the main gym to meet testing-accommodation and state heat-index guidance. Officials said the district’s building aid ratio is 41 percent, which will yield partial future reimbursement of eligible costs.

What comes next: the board voted to put three propositions on the May ballot—the 2026–27 expenditure budget, the Oceanside Library operating budget and the high-school capital reserve project—and reiterated the May 19 voting logistics: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Merle Avenue gym (School Six).

The board and administration emphasized there were no proposed program cuts in the recommended budget; administrators said they would provide follow-up data requested by some board members (for example, benchmarking used in guidance counselors’ advice on transcript presentation).