Greenport school district proposes cutting 21 positions, piercing tax levy cap
Greenport High School. The school district has proposed cutting 21 staff positions and raising its tax levy by almost 8%. Credit: Google Maps
The Greenport school district has proposed cutting 21 staff positions and raising its tax levy by almost 8% to make up for a multimillion-dollar shortfall in its 2026-27 budget.
District officials unveiled the proposed levy during a meeting Tuesday night. The proposed 7.91% increase would require the district to pierce its state-imposed limit of 3.04% — making Greenport the fifth district on Long Island to announce plans to exceed its tax levy cap. The measure would require a 60% supermajority of voter support for the budget to pass.
The proposed staffing cuts include 10 in instruction, 10 in non-instruction and one in administration, according to the budget presentation. The East End district, which served 658 students in 2024-25, currently has 146.3 staff positions.
It was not clear if any positions would be reduced through attrition.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- The Greenport school district has proposed cutting 21 staff positions to make up for a multimillion-dollar shortfall in its 2026-27 budget.
- The district also plans to raise its tax levy by 7.91%, which would mean piercing its state-imposed limit of 3.04%.
- Greenport school officials have cited rising costs in health care and employee benefits as reasons for their higher operating costs.
“Reducing staff is difficult — quite frankly, heartbreaking,” Superintendent Beth Doyle said during the budget presentation. “These decisions affect people we know and work with every day. And I take that very seriously.”
In a previous presentation, the district anticipated its expenses for the next school year to be nearly $28 million while its revenue is projected to be less than $25 million, leaving it with a $3 million shortfall.
Doyle said Tuesday the district has looked at “every possible area to find savings.” While they found “some efficiencies,” she said they were not enough to close the budget gap.
“These reductions are necessary to bring the budget into a sustainable position while preserving as much of our core programs as possible,” Doyle said.
Doyle was not available for an interview this week. Jaime Martilotta, the school board president, deferred questions to the superintendent.
Rebecca Lillis, president of the Greenport Teachers Association, said in a text Wednesday that the educators' top priority is to protect the resources students need to succeed.
"While we never want to see reductions to staff or programs, we remain committed to working collaboratively with the district and our community to support a budget that ensures the best possible education for our students," she wrote.
Taxpayer impact
Under the proposed budget, taxpayers with a home value of $657,671 would pay an estimated $520 more in school taxes in 2026-27, according to the presentation. For a property valued at $1,110,196, the estimated additional annual cost for the homeowner would be $878.
The school board is expected to adopt the budget on April 21. Residents will vote on the budget May 19.
If voters reject the budget, district officials could present a possible new spending plan with a 3.04% tax levy increase at a June 16 revote. If that budget fails, the board would adopt a contingency budget with a 0% levy increase, according to the presentation.
In both cases, according to the presentation, the district would have to cut programs for students, including advanced placement courses, electives, field trips and extracurricular activities. Class sizes would rise and more jobs would be cut.
Like many other districts, Greenport school officials have cited rising costs in health care and employee benefits as reasons for their higher operating costs.
The Greenport district has also depleted its fund balance, according to the budget presentation.
The district in 2024-25 added 20 staff positions and "used fund balance as funding source," according to the presentation. The district's unassigned fund balance, which reached a peak of more than $1 million in June 2024, is expected to be depleted by the end of June, according to the presentation.
Fund balances are year-end budget surpluses.
“What you will see tonight is the result of using one-time savings to fund our ongoing costs,” Doyle said Tuesday night. “That is not sustainable.”
Through a district spokesperson, Doyle said she could not comment further on the new hires because she did not take over as superintendent until March 2025.
Former superintendent Marlon Small left the district in July 2024. Assistant Superintendent Ryan Case served as the interim schools chief for eight months before Doyle was appointed. Case did not respond to an email seeking comment.
The four other Island districts seeking to override their tax levy caps are Shelter Island, Bayport-Blue Point, Uniondale and Lynbrook. Shelter Island on Monday lowered its proposed levy increase from 7% to 6.58%, which would still require the district to exceed its cap.
Dandan Zou covers education for Newsday. Previously, she worked for a community newspaper in Maryland and a personal finance magazine in Washington, D.C.
