West Babylon voters approve $141.5 million school budget, two capital propositions
West Babylon voters backed a $141.5 million school budget and two capital propositions, preserving the district’s spending plan and moving major facilities work ahead.
West Babylon School District voters approved a $141,539,066 budget for the 2026-27 school year Tuesday, along with two capital propositions that keep the district’s spending plan and building projects moving ahead.
Unofficial results posted by the district showed the budget passing 988-356. Proposition No. 2, a Capital Reserve Budget for a JHS capital project, passed 1,004-326. Proposition No. 3, a Capital Reserve Budget, passed 1,032-299. The votes gave West Babylon Union Free School District administrators a clear path into next year after months of budget work.
The annual budget vote and trustee election ran from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Residents north of Sunrise Highway voted at Santapogue Elementary School, while residents south of Sunrise Highway voted at the West Babylon administration building. Three at-large board seats were filled by Franklin Medina, Jr., Patti Neville and Michael Rosenberger.
The approval matters because school budgets in Suffolk County sit at the center of household tax bills and the services families see every day. A budget of more than $141 million signals a large district with substantial staffing, program and facility obligations. Passing the plan avoids the disruption that can follow a failed vote, including cuts, revisions or another round of campaigning before the district can finalize spending.
West Babylon had already spent months making the case for the proposal. The district held a budget hearing on May 5, 2026, after presenting budget materials on Feb. 10, March 24 and April 14. Those sessions covered budget development, facilities projects, curriculum initiatives and strategic planning, showing that Tuesday’s vote capped a long public process rather than a one-night decision.
The result also fits a pattern in West Babylon. In 2024, voters approved a revised budget plan by 1,768 to 654 after the district shifted its proposal to stay within the state tax cap. That earlier vote, and this year’s strong support for both operating and capital measures, show a community that has been willing to back district spending when leaders tie it to the schools’ day-to-day needs and long-term infrastructure.
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