District overview
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District
How Bellmore-Merrick's high school district is funded, governed and spending its money
Who runs the high schools, and who pays?
Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District serves grades 7 to 12 for families from Bellmore, North Bellmore, Merrick and North Merrick. It has two middle schools (Grand Avenue and Merrick Avenue), three high schools (Calhoun, Kennedy and Mepham) and the Meadowbrook Alternative Program. It is run by an eight-member Board of Education and paid for mostly by property taxes from the four communities.
Board seats are filled by the elementary boards
Each of the four component elementary boards selects two members to serve on the high school district board, so there is no direct public election for its seats (district website).
Property taxes pay about two-thirds
The proposed 2026-27 budget is $210.4 million; the tax levy of $140.2 million (up 2.35%) is 67% of revenue. State aid is about 27% ($56.5 million proposed).
Voters decide the budget each May
The district's 2026-27 calendar sets the budget vote for May 18, 2027, with a public hearing May 5 and budget adoption by the board on April 7. Residents vote at polling places run by the four elementary districts.
Meetings are monthly
Regular work session meetings are usually the first Wednesday of the month at Brookside Educational Center in North Merrick; the 2026-27 list starts with a July 14, 2026 reorganization meeting.
Current agendas, minutes and policies are posted on BoardDocs, which this site could not collect, so this page rests on budget, audit and newsletter documents rather than meeting records.
Where the district stands
Up 3.11% from $204,015,039.
Up 2.35%; the district says it is within the tax cap.
Up $2.7 million; unassigned portion $9.0 million.
Down 8.4% from $229.6 million; this long-term promise is why net position is a deficit of $186.5 million.
Down 12.73 from 940.42.
871 graduates; the district lists Nassau County at 94% and New York State at 85%.
Context: $210,364,131 divided by about 5,243 students (enrollment figure from the federal school directory, not a collected district document). Includes benefits, transportation and debt.
Major projects
Mepham High School repairs
Proposed; voter approval was on the May 2026 ballot (result not collected)Proposition 2 would spend $2.5 million from the capital reserve on an elevator, intercom, masonry, flooring and ceilings, gym partition, sewage pump, HVAC and sidewalks.
- Presented in the budget presentation
- Ballot vote scheduled
Funding
Existing capital reserve fund (no added tax, per the district)
Calhoun High School renovations
Approved May 2025; construction to begin July 2026Classroom renovations, library roof and masonry repairs, auditorium curtains, gym partitions and ceiling and boiler controls.
- Voters approved use of the capital reserve
- Construction planned to begin (July 2026)
Funding
Capital reserve fund, $3 million approved by voters May 20, 2025
New capital reserve fund (up to $20 million)
Proposed on the May 2026 ballot (result not collected)Proposition 3 would let the district save up to $5 million a year of surplus money, for up to $20 million over about 20 years, for future building projects.
- Ballot vote scheduled
Funding
Surplus general fund money, up to $5 million a year
1:1 Chromebook program
Starting in 2026-27Incoming 7th graders are issued Chromebooks (the district web page says grades 7 to 12). The budget includes a 1,500-device refresh.
- Device policy and agreement forms open to families
Funding
Technology section of the general budget
Recent news
Built from district web pages and PDFs: the April 2026 budget presentation and newsletter, the FY2025 audit, internal audit reports, newsletters, curriculum documents, device and phone policies and the 2025-27 board calendars.
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