NEW ROCHELLE, NY (March 12, 2025) — The New Rochelle school district is confronting a $20.2 million budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year, leading Superintendent Dr. Corey W. Reynolds to propose cutting up to 200 jobs and raising taxes. The plan was unveiled at a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night, with details available on the district’s website and a recording of the session posted on YouTube.
In a letter to the community released Wednesday, Reynolds explained that despite efforts to secure more state funding through advocacy with lawmakers and Governor Hochul, no additional aid has been granted. The proposed budget includes a 3.95% tax levy increase—exceeding the state’s tax cap—and a series of cost-saving measures. Reynolds and his senior staff will also forgo scheduled salary increases as a gesture of support for taxpayers and employees.
The district’s strategy to close the gap includes the following steps:
– Requesting the Board of Education to override the tax cap with a 3.95% tax levy increase.
– Rebalancing classrooms by slightly increasing class sizes while maintaining optimal teacher-student ratios.
– Preserving essential mental health and social-emotional support services for students.
– Adjusting elementary school bell schedules to cut the number of buses, drivers, and monitors by up to half.
– Reducing contracted services and reassessing overtime usage.
– Freezing hiring in certification areas and roles slated for workforce reduction.
– Eliminating up to 200 positions districtwide, including administrators, teachers, clinicians, custodians, civil-service trades workers, monitors, and security staff.
The job cuts, affecting a broad range of staff, were described as a necessary but challenging decision. Reynolds encouraged community involvement, highlighting key dates: the budget adoption on March 20 at Davis Elementary, a public hearing on May 6 at New Rochelle High School, and the budget vote on May 20. Questions can be emailed to budgetquestions@nredlearn.org.
If the budget is rejected, a second vote is scheduled for June 17. A second failure would trigger a contingency budget at last year’s spending level, necessitating an additional $9.2 million in reductions. Reynolds stressed the district’s focus on fiscal responsibility and quality education, expressing optimism about overcoming the financial strain with community cooperation.