The Pine Bush Central School District Board of Education adopted the 2026-2027 budget Tuesday night, a $153,150,596 spending plan that maintains all existing academic, co-curricular, and athletic opportunities for our students.
The Budget Details
This budget is 2.2 percent more than the current year’s budget, an increase of $3.3 million.
The proposed tax levy will increase by 3.42 percent or $2.2 million, for a total of $66,616,885. This is within the tax levy limit set by the state for our district.
Total state aid increased 0.61 percent, providing $488,074 in additional aid over the current year’s figure.
The district will also use $3,385,038 in fund balance for this budget.
The tax levy is the amount of money raised by taxes. Fund balance is money that was previously collected by the district but not appropriated.
What This Means to Homeowners
A homeowner in the district, with a home valued at $400,000, would pay approximately $202.67 more for the year in school taxes, or just under $17 per month, with this 3.42 percent change in the tax levy.
Providing for Our Students
The proposed budget continues to provide the strong academic programs we have built here at Pine Bush. A new Career and Technical Education (CTE) program, welding, is being added at Pine Bush High School in 2027. This is the fourth CTE program at PBHS – including advanced manufacturing, woodworking and business – providing another pathway to graduation for our students.
Twenty positions throughout the district will be eliminated with no layoffs due to retirements and reallocation of staff.
“To remain fiscally sound, we meticulously reviewed every area of our operations,” said Superintendent Joe Lenz. “By analyzing current enrollment and considering retirements and attrition, we successfully reduced a number of positions while fully maintaining the academic, co-curricular and athletic programs that support our mission.”
Please vote
Registered voters within the district will have the opportunity to vote on the 2026-2027 budget and elect two members to the board of education on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Residents of Gardiner, Shawangunk, Crawford and Montgomery vote at Pine Bush High School; Residents of Mount Hope, Wallkill and Mamakating vote at Circleville Elementary School.
Four candidates are running for two seats on the board. Incumbent Kristi Kheiralla, Starla Ciarelli, Marc Morello and Phillip Salinardi are vying for the seats, which have three-year terms.
Absentee and early mail voting
Any residents wishing to vote early may do so. Registered voters must request an early mail ballot or an absentee ballot from the district clerk in writing.
The ballot may be mailed to the voter or picked up from the district office. It must be completed and returned to the district clerk by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 19.