South Country schools revise budget, cut staff, programs and buses

Families in Bellport, Brookhaven Hamlet and East Patchogue are being asked to accept a smaller tax increase in exchange for a leaner South Country school budget that cuts deeper into classrooms, buses and student opportunities. The revised plan drops spending to $144 million from $150 million and cuts the proposed tax levy increase to 5.5 percent from 13.5 percent, but it comes with another round of layoffs, program cuts and fewer services.

The South Country Central School District presented the new proposal after voters rejected its first budget on May 19 by a vote of 2,747 no to 1,529 yes. Proposition 2 passed 2,211 to 1,529, and the South Country Board of Education is now moving toward a revote scheduled for June 16, the date designated by the New York State Education Department for a second school budget vote.

Acting Assistant Superintendent for Finance and Management Services John Belmonte said the district is looking at reductions across the board, including administration and programming. Under the revised plan, the district would eliminate 34 full-time positions on top of the 60 positions already cut in the first budget. That means fewer adults in the building, less support spread across more students and more pressure on remaining staff as the district tries to stay balanced.

Parents at the meeting said the changes will be felt first in the classroom. One mother said her child could end up in a kindergarten class of 25 to 28 students with one teacher and no aide. The district is also considering larger class sizes overall, a shift that could make it harder for younger students and students who need extra help to get individual attention.

At Bellport High School, the revised budget could eliminate several technology and art electives, along with AP chemistry, physics and environmental science. For students who are planning on engineering, lab science or other specialized college tracks, those cuts would narrow the choices available before graduation. Junior varsity sports are also on the chopping block, adding another loss for students whose school experience depends on activities outside the classroom.

Transportation is being pared back too, with late bus service on the list of reductions. For working families across the district, that could mean students lose the ride home after clubs, tutoring, rehearsals and games, turning an extracurricular opportunity into a logistical problem. The district’s own financial FAQ says the 2026-2027 budget may require about $6 million in borrowing to remain balanced, and warns that borrowing for operating expenses could create future financial problems.

The financial strain has been building for months. A New York State Comptroller budget review dated April 10 said South Country was on track to run a 2025-26 deficit of about $8.7 million and had no surplus fund balance to help cover it. District materials said key revenue and spending estimates in prior budgets were not reasonable. As South Country heads back to voters, the choice is no longer just about a tax rate. It is about how much of the district’s academic and extracurricular program can still be sustained at all.