Riverhead School Budget Vote, BOE Election Takes Place Tuesday

RIVERHEAD, NY — The Riverhead Union Free School District budget vote for the 2024 to 2025 school year takes place Tuesday — with both Board of Education candidates running unopposed.

The proposed $201,464,530 budget reflects a 4.93 percent spending increase and a tax levy increase of 3.34 percent.

"The Riverhead Central School District’s proposed budget for the 2024-2025 school year has been developed to maintain the high-quality programs and services offered to our students while remaining sensitive to the tax impact on residents," the Riverhead Board of Education said. "The proposed budget stays within the property tax levy cap for our district of 3.34 percent."

"As has been presented and outlined at several Board of Education meetings, the district is encountering significant fiscal challenges coming into the 2024-2025 school year," the BOE said. "The end of state and federal COVID relief funding placed the district in a situation where reductions had to be made in staffing and programming to ensure a balanced 2024-2025 budget and to preserve the district’s financial stability in subsequent years. The spending plan developed by district administration and Board of Education trustees preserves the core of our academic programming, maintains our pre-K program and nine-period day at the high school, and keeps intact the majority of electives and other services and programs that are essential components of a comprehensive, well-rounded education for all our pre-K through 12th grade students."

And, the BOE added: "Most notably, elementary class sizes will not be increased and there will be no reductions in the core instructional academics, non-instructional academics, arts, athletics, or extracurricular programming. Under the district’s new leadership, significant strides have been made in stabilizing and streamlining district operations, there is a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm across our faculty and staff, and new opportunities continue to open up for our students."

BOE candidates Brian Connelly and Kelly Freeborn are running unopposed.

Voters will also weigh in on a proposition to elect a student ex-officio to the BOE.

Voting takes place from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m. at local elementary schools.