Mattituck-Cutchogue School Budget Passes With Ease

MATTITUCK-CUTCHOGUE, NY — Voters turned out to cast their ballots in the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District's 2025 to 2026 budget vote Tuesday — and passed the budget by a wide margin of 384 to 146 .

Voters also weighed in on Proposition No. 2, for the establishment of a $10 million capital reserve fund to finance district-wide facilities capital improvements. The funds come from capital reserves set aside that do not affect the tax levy.

That measure also passed, 386 to 140.

Three candidates vied for two board of education seats: Jennifer Anderson, an incumbent, ran against Linda Stravrinos and Lauren Ocker. Ocker, with 394 votes, and Stavrinos, with 378 votes, won the race.

The proposed $46,765,442 budget for the Mattituck-Cutchogue Union Free School District for 2025 to 2026 represents a spending increase of $1,420,045, or 3.13 percent, and a 2.97 tax levy increase that falls beneath the cap.

"Each year our Board of Education puts our students and community first when preparing the annual budget and this year is no different," the BOE's budget message said. "Despite the fiscal challenges and unknowns our community is facing, our changing demographics, increased interest in our AP classes, our stellar special education programs and a never-ending commitment to prepare our students for the future continues to guide us forward. We are conscious of the struggles of our taxpayers, which help to lead our administration and superintendent to create a responsible budget that once again falls under the tax levy cap. Our proposed 2.97 percent increase on our tax levy does just that."

The BOE added: "As a district, we strive to offer a large variety of extracurricular activities, a proven successful extended learning day for our students, a BOCES collaboration with a newly formed carpentry program, optimal class sizes, shared athletic teams and a multi-tiered support system for all grades K-8. Our robust art and music programs, additional foreign language level and our ever-present social and emotional support teams are all areas that are priorities in this annual work."