Revised West Babylon School Budget Passes By Wide Margin

WEST BABYLON, NY — West Babylon residents have spoken — voters turned out Tuesday night and passed the district's revised budget for the 2024 to 2025 school year by a wide margin.

The revised budget has passed with 1,768 votes for "yes" and 654 votes for "no," the district told Patch Tuesday night.

The district's original proposed budget of $136,882,275 reflected a budget-to-budget increase of 5.774 percent from the most recent budget of $129,410,664 and a tax levy increase of 4.99 percent.

The revision proposed a total budget of $136,349,275 and a tax levy increase of 2.01 percent.

While passing the first proposed budget required a 60 percent vote, the revised proposed budget required a simple majority vote of 50 percent +1 voter approval, according to the school district.

According to district officials, the revised budget includes using a $4.658 million "in total fund balance and reserves to lower the tax impact for residents."

In addition, the district said the re-vote budget "priorities the academic and social-emotional health needs of students."

It will also maintain full-day kindergarten, programs including athletics, music, art and technology, robotics and science research, average class size for all grades, district community and security, secondary electives and AP offerings, according to district officials.

The revised budget will reduce the K-8 intervention and lab program, that was included in the original proposal. It will also eliminate the 9th-grade student health program, as stated in the original proposal.

"We believe this revised budget maintains our commitment to student success, while continuing to prioritize critical programs and resources for our students," West Babylon School District Superintendent Dr. Yiendhy Farrelly told Patch.

If the revote had failed, an additional $1,663,313 million in reductions from the proposed budget would have been required.

That means the district would have operated under the contingency budget that is restricted to ordinary contingent expects considered "necessary to provide the minimum services legally required" to operate and maintain school buildings and education programs, preserve the property of the district and ensure the health and safety of students and staff, the district said.

Furthermore, the contingency budget would have eliminated athletics and all student clubs and cocurricular programs, robotics and science research, and public use of school grounds unless there was no cost to the district.

In addition, the contingency budget would have reduced secondary electives and AP offerings, K-8 intervention and lab programs, and cut kindergarten to a half-day program.