Board Expresses Unanimous Support for Proposed 2026-27 School Budget

The limits imposed by the NYS tax cap, shrinking reserves and a 2026 bond proposition on the ballot made this an especially challenging year to balance the 2026-27 school budget. The board wrestled with the numbers and made some tough choices to bring in the budget below the tax cap in the hope of also garnering support for a $101.3mm bond that will be voted on the same day – May 19, 2026.

At the April 13, 2026 meeting of the Board of Education, Board members expressed unanimous support for the proposed 2026-27 school budget while acknowledging that there was more they hoped they could include and opining on the difficulties imposed on local school boards by the state tax cap.
See their statements below:

Colleen Brown

I would like to start by thanking everyone who worked so hard to develop this budget. Drew and Andrew, thank you for your leadership and guidance in this challenging process. I would also like to thank the district leadership and principals who took the time to look closely at their individual areas/ school buildings to see how we can continue to deliver our programs while staying within a limited budget. I also want to thank the community for continuing to engage with us as we move through this process.

We are fortunate to live in a community that not only values our children’s education, but continues to invest the resources needed to provide our students with every possible opportunity. Each year, as we develop the budget, we carefully re-evaluate the programs we offer and assess the evolving needs of our students.

This year, we also took a close look at our infrastructure, considering how well our buildings support the daily experiences of our students, spaces where they reflect, question, problem-solve, and think critically. The development of this year’s bond proposal is centered on ensuring that our facilities effectively support teaching and learning.

As a Board, we had to keep these priorities in mind while reviewing the school budget. We are living in uncertain times, and these uncertainties are significantly impacting both the cost of living and the cost of maintaining the high educational standards we set for ourselves. It is considerably more expensive to provide the same programming next year as it was this year, and we had to come to terms with that reality. We also remain concerned about rising healthcare costs and the continued reliance on reserve funds to cover expenses, something we have committed to reducing. Combined with inflationary pressures, these factors made it even more challenging to meet our students’ needs.

Scarsdale has long been recognized as a leader in educational innovation and excellence. We would welcome the opportunity to continue expanding our programs and enriching our students’ experiences. At the same time, we must be mindful of the broader economic climate and the financial responsibility we have to our community.

This year, we are presenting a budget at the tax cap. While there is more we would like to do, we recognize the importance of balancing our goals with fiscal responsibility, especially as we ask the community to support both the budget and the bond. I support this proposal because I believe the education we provided this past year was exceptional, offering a wide range of opportunities inside our classrooms as well as in athletics, the arts, sciences, speech and debate, and global learning experiences. Maintaining this level of programming will continue to give our students the tools they need to grow and thrive in an ever-changing world.
This year, our focus has been on investing in capital projects and addressing aging infrastructure. As we look towards the future….It is my hope that we will be able to focus more on expanding instructional programs and opportunities for both our students and our faculty.

For these reasons, I fully support this year’s proposed budget and encourage our community to keep these factors in mind when they come to vote on Tuesday, May 19.

Leah Dembitzer

Regarding the budget, I encourage the community to make an informed vote on May 19. We are at a pivotal moment in school budgeting and as has been said throughout this process, the reality of budgeting within the tax cap has tied our hands with regard to the fullness of the program that we’d like to offer.

This budget will preserve elementary class size; a hallmark of our schools. Small, manageable class sizes in the elementary schools enhance and enrich the student experience in the formative years of a child’s education. Anyone who has had their children go through the elementary schools can appreciate the importance of this guidepost.

However, as I’ve mentioned throughout this process, I’d like to highlight the importance of monitoring the size of high school math and physics classes to make sure that they’re not overly large next year and in future years. 29 or 30 high school students crammed into a math classroom and learning a complex subject, is far from ideal and not what I would like. We have heard from parents, the high school PTA, and students, specifically our student board members, on this issue. We know that many high school students are taking multiple math classes in a given year as well as unique elective offerings; part of our high school guidepost of student choice.

This is the first obvious instance of the tax cap not being able to support the program we believe is expected by the community.

Furthermore, I’d like to make sure that we keep an eye on how the reduction through attrition and the reduction in aide hours, for the second year in a row, affects the student experience in 2026-27.

This year, we are putting forth a capital projects’ bond vote, which exemplifies forward-looking investment in our district buildings and grounds; we know that the Village is moving forward with a pool bond, and in my view, it is not a year to push the cap. This shows fiscal restraint. We have made budget reductions through this process and it’s important for the community to know and understand that. All of these reductions– and the lack of additions – have been made in order to fit our budget into the tax cap. While I believe that we have done our best this year to maintain the richness of the school experience for which Scarsdale is known, I don’t doubt that these reductions will be felt; impacting the student experience.

Regarding the tax cap. While, in my view, it is important for the purpose of preventing major spikes in the annual tax levy and it compels fiduciary restraint, it is also an arbitrary calculation that is not in and of itself reflective of the real financial needs of the district. In that way, as we have clearly seen, it complicates budgeting over a period of time.

Last year, a big topic was our reliance on fund balance. I am grateful to Andrew for his early work in weaning us off use of the healthcare reserve in this budget. I think that is a very positive step for us. I noted at our last meeting and continue to note the lower level of our healthcare reserve and know that Andrew and his team will do their best to replenish it as we are able. As far as the unassigned fund balance, this year we continued to use $1.1 million toward the budget in order to alleviate the tax burden. As Drew mentioned during our process, we have, up until this point, been able to replenish that amount, year over year, through revenue. However, if you’re following, you know we discussed that due to the deeper cuts made this year –the tight budgeting– there may be a point wherein the $1.1 isn’t fully replenished. I note this because I wouldn’t want to pull an amount from the fund balance on an annual basis that is not being replenished. This is something that I'm watching and the community needs to be aware of it for future budget cycles. I’d also like to highlight the general health of our reserves as they affect our Moody’s rating, which in turn, may impact our ability to go out to bond.

A huge thank you to Andrew and his team; Drew, and the entire cabinet for your work. Andrew, specifically, you have done incredible work this year on the bond and budget. Thank you to our engaged community for your questions and comments; the exchange of thought and ideas is essential to this process. Please stay engaged, stay informed, and most importantly, vote.

I vote yes to adopt the budget and look forward to the work that lies ahead.

James Dugan

I’m going to be brief, it’s late, and everyone’s already said a lot that I agree with, and they have said it very well. I just want to add that, as the President of the Board of Education this year, it’s really been my privilege to work with the Board, the school district, and the cabinet, in particular Superintendent Drew McPatrick and Assistant Superintendent for Business Andrew Lennon, to work through the thorny issues of cost, expense, the desires and needs of the community, what we want to do, and what we can realistically afford to do.

It’s been a learning process seeing how the budget came together, even though I’ve been on the Board for five years. I’ve been very impressed with the job that’s been done by everyone here to accomplish as much as we can with the budget, while at the same time bringing the community along. We have a community of committed, highly focused people who ask sometimes difficult questions, and that’s very good because it encourages us to be transparent and to have strong rationales and support for our decision-making. We also very much appreciate the work of our PTAs, who volunteer and have spent long hours diving into the details and asking thought provoking and important questions.

On the whole, it’s been my pleasure to be involved in this budget process. I’ve been impressed by the way my colleagues have dedicated themselves to this task, and the thoroughness with which they scrutinized and ultimately supported the steps that were taken, the cuts that were made, and the decisions that were made as to what is in and what is out.

I think that, on the whole, the budget does what it has to do in the face of difficult financial circumstances and a tax cap that is implacable. We may have to consider, in the future, how to navigate that tax cap. This year we’re coming in at the tax cap. Will that be possible next year? We will see. But we all need to be cognizant of the challenges that the tax cap will continue to present in proposing a budget that does everything that needs to be done to support the growth of our students and the long term strength and excellence of our school district.

All of that being said, I fully support the 2026-27 school budget, and I encourage everyone to vote on May 19. Thank you.

Suzi Hahn

In considering the school budget, we like to say that the budget season kicks off in November with the Budgets Priorities Forum, where community stakeholders speak to their budget priorities for the year. However, in truth, the budget is an ever-continuous process, and the work and experiences of previous years’ budget processes are carried into the present year. Over the past handful of years, to face inflationary headwinds to our budget while under the constraints of the tax cap, we have gradually eaten into our reserves. Our reserves levels are at a point that when we went out in the fall to rate our Auditorium bond, Moody’s stated that our reserves levels remain below average relative to rating peers, and that a decline in available reserves sustained below 10% of revenue is a factor that could lead to a credit downgrade. Now I don’t want to be alarmist, Moody’s used the word “sustained” and we are still over 10% of revenue with our reserves. But when we discussed this as a board in the fall the consensus was that a rating downgrade would be seriously detrimental to our district and to be avoided. With a ~$100M bond on the horizon I think it critical that our reserve levels stay at a place where we can hopefully count on a top tier credit rating.

Mindful of this bond and the ask to invest in much needed capital projects to our community, a budget adhering to the tax cap is the judicious path this year. In past comments I’ve discussed the tax cap and as a Board we have even advocated for common sense adjustments. This tax cap, which has not kept up with inflation and new expectations of our schools in terms of mental health and security, has taken its toll on our budget. We’re at a moment now that we’ve been told that we are at “the bone” in terms of trimming any excess from the budget. At last month’s Budget Forum, I really felt here the compelling advocacy points of our community stakeholders, as well as appreciated their nuanced understanding of the challenging budgetary environment we find ourselves in.

I do, however, believe that this budget funds so many accomplishments furthering our Strategic Plan of Learning, Living, Leading. The proposed budget preserves our tradition of academic excellence and care for the whole child, while continuing to manage the fiscal challenges facing many school districts such as ours. Our investments in teaching and learning fund an exceptional level of instruction. It also addresses some of the capital needs of our aging district identified in our bond priorities work, as well as allows for program expansion. We all say that people move to Scarsdale for the schools, and I believe this budget reflects judicious fiscal management while maintaining the educational program that reflects our community’s core values and cultivates life skills in our students to succeed and thrive. Tonight’s Education Report showcases some of these innovative student initiatives at all levels. These past few days the nation has been transfixed watching the Artemis mission to the far side of the moon. Really anything is possible if we invest in our young people - today’s students will be our future leaders and I believe this budget enables and empowers our students to achieve whatever goals and dreams they set for themselves. Thank you to Superintendent Patrick, Assistant Superintendent of Business Andrew Lennon, the Administrative Cabinet and our building leaders for all their hard work to draft this budget, which I am very pleased to support this evening.

Robert Klein

This year’s budget has been especially challenging, given the broader context in which it was developed— including a proposed community pool renovation, a capital bond initiative, and the economic environment we face in 2026. I’m grateful to work with a board and administration that not only keep students at the center of every decision, but also carefully consider the impact of those decisions on the community as a whole.

Each year, we evaluate the budget through multiple lenses, all tied to student well-being. Our discussions reflect a thoughtful balance: maintaining the academic rigor that defines our schools, supporting physical health through athletics and exercise, addressing the condition of our facilities, and ensuring we value and support our teachers and staff through fair salaries and benefits. As we’ve noted, these salaries and benefits account for roughly 80% of our annual budget.

As an architect, I strongly believe that the physical environment matters—that well-designed, well-maintained spaces communicate the value we place on education.

But ultimately, it is our teachers and administrators who bring that value to life through their dedication, continuous growth, and commitment to our students’ success.
I also want to acknowledge that when certain items are not included in this budget, it is not because they are unimportant. Rather, it reflects the difficult choices we must make and the reality that some priorities must be deferred to future cycles.

For these reasons, I fully support the proposed 2026–2027 budget. While it cannot include everything we would wish for, I believe it strikes a responsible balance and continues our strong tradition of supporting the whole child.

Laura Liu

I’d like to start by giving gratitude to everyone who worked tirelessly and collaboratively on the budget over the past several months! That includes Dr. Patrick, Mr. Lennon, other members of the cabinet, their central office staff, and our building principals and administrators. Also making important contributions to budget work are our PTC and PTA leadership, budget-study chairs, PTA members, community groups including the League of Women Voters, the Scarsdale Forum, and individual residents who engaged in the process. Many different perspectives were discussed robustly, which led to this comprehensive budget that aligns with our strategic goals and prioritizes student learning and wellbeing, while also balancing fiscal realities, which Suzie, Leah and other board members have just eloquently summarized.

We are in a unique situation this year, with both the $101MM school bond and the $75MM Village pool bond very much on our taxpayers’ minds. The School Board and the District were aligned from the get-go that we would commit to a budget that stays within the tax cap this year. Given the high inflation and fixed costs, this posed tremendous challenges. Our school leaders had to make some hard decisions and defer several highly desirable staff additions in the area of elementary social work, middle school special education, and high school math. While these deferrals are not ideal, our administrators and teachers are committed and doing their best to optimize class sections and school operations to deliver the highest quality student experiences possible with the available resources. I’m glad that in this budget we are able to accommodate the playground renovation at Heathcote, the 8:1:2 life skills program room renovation, and several important program improvements and professional development opportunities for faculty. These are high priority items that will benefit our programs and our students directly.
Going back to the significant deferrals we had to make this year, I’d like to note that in future years, it would not be sustainable to always stay within the tax cap while also delivering the quality education the Scarsdale community desires and deserves. This topic has often been discussed at the board table and in the community. I look forward to continued community discussion and consensus building around this.
In conclusion, I fully support this proposed budget.

Amber Yusuf

As I prepared for tonight’s budget vote, I reflected on the budgets adopted during my six years on the Board of Education. Consistent with past practice, this Board has balanced its fiscal responsibilities while keeping the student experience at the center of its decisions. I appreciate the thoughtful deliberation from my colleagues—assessing priorities and making tradeoffs is never simple.

I also want to thank Drew, Andrew, Lisa, and the full administrative team for their work on this budget. Last year, several Board members, myself included, raised concerns about over-reliance on reserves. Early in this cycle, the Board made a deliberate decision to adhere to the tax cap, recognizing the broader financial pressures facing our community. Within those constraints, the administration presented a budget that meets both objectives while maintaining the District’s core values.

While not every program or idea could be included, this budget preserves key priorities: small class sizes at the elementary level, the house and team structure at the middle school, and student choice at the high school. In light of over $100 million in proposed capital projects, the Board also made prudent decisions to defer certain initiatives—including expanded social-emotional supports at the elementary level, additional middle school special education programming, and reduced math class sizes at the high school—for future consideration.

Looking ahead, I am hopeful that steps taken this year—such as engaging new healthcare consultants—will create greater flexibility for future Boards to thoughtfully expand programming and continue strengthening the student experience.

For these reasons, I fully support this budget. Thank you.