Long Island remains deeply committed to education, even amid economic uncertainties and rising costs! Voters showed up and showed out for public education on May 20, 2025, during the annual budget vote and board member election. In a sweeping show of support, all 56 school districts in Nassau County successfully passed their budgets for the 2025–26 school year. Meanwhile, 52 of 54 Suffolk County districts earned voter approval, with only Shelter Island and Elwood failing to secure enough support for their spending plans.
Nassau County: A Clean Sweep for Education
For Nassau County, it was a historic night. Every district, from Roosevelt to Roslyn, passed its budget. The average voter approval rate across Nassau came in at 70.43%, with top-performing districts like Cold Spring Harbor (83.33%), Bethpage (82.54%), and Westbury (81.54%) leading the charge.
Despite inflation and fiscal pressures, districts managed modest increases:
- Average Budget Increase: 3.20%
- Average Tax Levy Increase: 2.21%
- Average Tax Cap (Levy Limit): 2.58%
While Hicksville was the only Nassau district to exceed the state-mandated tax levy cap (raising taxes by 2.54% when its limit was 1.07%), voters still approved the budget with a 65.30% majority.
Districts like Hempstead stood out with a hefty 9.19% budget increase and no tax increase, while Freeport achieved a 0% tax increase with a budget increase of 2.77%. These numbers demonstrate creative fiscal leadership and effective community trust.
Suffolk County: Strong Support with Two Notable Exceptions
While not perfect, Suffolk County voters showed broad support, passing 52 out of 54 budgets. The only two districts that failed were Shelter Island and Elwood, both of which exceeded their allowable tax caps:
- Shelter Island: Proposed a 6.97% tax increase, over 4.8% above its levy limit. Result: Fail at 54.85%.
- Elwood: Sought a 4.20% tax increase against a 1.29% cap. Result: Fail at 54.19%May 20 2025 Vote Result….
Aside from those two, voter turnout and approval mirrored Nassau’s momentum:
Brentwood passed its massive 14.13% budget increase with 73.65% support, proving that even major spending plans can win when supported by New York State and tied to clear community benefits. Riverhead squeaked by with a narrow 55.87% approval, while Montauk, despite a staggering tax increase, still passed with 59% approval.
Island-Wide Averages & Takeaways
Long Island as a whole continues to set a standard in public school investment:
- Average Budget Increase (Island-wide): 3.26%
- Average Tax Levy Increase: 2.54%
- Average Levy Cap: 2.86%
- Island-wide Budget Passage Rate: 98.4% (122 out of 124 districts)
With Shelter Island and Elwood failing, these two cases reinforce a long-standing lesson in school finance: exceeding the cap without voter support is a high-risk move.
