Riverhead 2025-26 proposed school budget increases by nearly 5%

Riverhead Central School District’s Board of Education gave its second presentation on the 2025-26 budget this week. The proposed budget includes an increase of $9.9 million over last year, to $211,434,000 — a nearly 5% hike that officials said would not pierce the state tax cap.

Funding for the high school summer school program was added back into the budget this year, having been covered by COVID grant money the last few years.

“Now we have to pay for it on our own. Those federal monies and those grants are gone,” said interim superintendent for business Marianne Cartisano.

Occupational education has increased in both enrollment and cost as the tuition for BOCES rises.

“What is happening is, if you look in the 2019-20 year, we sent 140 students to BOCES for occupational education. That was great. The tuition was nearly $14,000 [per student],” said Ms. Cartisano. “In the 2020-21 year, coming out of COVID, we jump from 140 to 178, then 222, 220, 229. I have budgeted for 224 students for next year. That means almost doubling in five years. So now, you’ve gone from $1.9 million to this current year … and with the projected increase in tuition from $15,500 to $16,000, next year’s budget is nearly $3.6 million.”

For special education students in the BOCES programs, the budget cost is set at $3.8 million. Due to the lack of available space in existing facilities, those students are sent out of district for instruction.

“We do not have the physical space for these classes to be housed within our elementary school specifically. So therefore, there is no choice but to have these students attend school out of district,” said Ms. Cartisano.

In addition, the budget line for Riverhead Charter School tuition is expected to increase by between $2.6 and $2.7 million next year. This is in addition to the overall increase from last year, which exceeded the projected $13 million and came in at over $14 million instead. The tuition cost this year for each Charter School student is $21,746.

“And now in nine years, you would have paid $88 million to the charter school to educate our resident students,” Ms. Cartisano said of the rising costs. “You basically could have built a building for that kind of money.”

Three capital projects are on the 2025-26 budget as well, all funded at no additional cost to taxpayers. The first is an energy use agreement that allows the district to undertake projects such as adding solar panels or installing energy efficient lighting, which are paid for through the retained savings.

Other capital projects include renovating the cafeterias at two district elementary schools, to be funded by the cafeteria program at a cost of $1.2 million at Riley Avenue and $1.7 million at Phillips Avenue.

The cost for routine buildings and grounds maintenance, running the district office and property insurance is increasing by $400,000. 

Out of $9.9 million, $7.7 million is going directly to instructional programs within the school district, officials noted. 

There is a $600,000 increase in transportation to cover bus driver salaries. Another $2.2 million is designated for staff salaries, including a $1.9 million increase in support staff funding. Administrative salaries will be reduced by $253,000.