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Public votePassed
2026-27 school budget ($727,096,955)
Brentwood · $727,096,955
Voters approved the 2026-27 budget and $118,389,147 tax levy, 632 yes to 215 no on the posted tally.
Official source · verified Oct 20, 2026
District overview
Brentwood Union Free School District
How Brentwood's public schools are funded, governed and changing.
How is Brentwood funded?
State aid first, local property tax second, under the state tax cap
Brentwood is a large Suffolk County district with a 2026-27 budget of $727,096,955. The district's finance office says state aid, mainly foundation aid, supplies well over $400 million. The rest comes from a local property tax levy of $118,389,147 that the state tax cap limits each year, plus savings from past years (fund balance), meal reimbursements and small fees. Voters approve the budget each May.
Budget grew 5.6%
The 2026-27 budget is $38.6 million above 2025-26's $688.5 million. Health insurance alone rises $7.8 million (8.7%).
Voters decide the budget
The annual vote on May 19, 2026 approved the budget 632 to 215 in the polling places on the posted tally, along with two school-bus propositions.
Money set aside for buildings
The budget moves $36 million into a capital fund (down from $39 million). The district says it has used this line for several years to pay for construction without a bond vote.
Fewer students each year
Enrollment fell from 17,486 in September 2025 to 16,381 in September 2026. State aid and staffing plans depend on enrollment.
A falling student count does not by itself mean the district is in trouble. The public papers show the budget passed with large margins and the tax levy stayed within the state cap.
Where the district stands
2026-27 budgetverified
$727,096,955
Up 5.6% from $688,525,221 in 2025-26.
2026-27 property tax levyverified
$118,389,147
The resolution states the levy does not exceed the statutory cap.
Enrollment, Sept 11, 2026verified
16,381 students
Down from 17,486 on Sept 25, 2025 (a drop of 1,105, about 6%).
Budget per studentcontext
$44,387
Context: $727,096,955 divided by 16,381 students. Includes the $36 million capital transfer, special education, transportation and benefits, so it is not a classroom-only figure.
Elected trusteesverified
7 seats
Plus one student ex-officio member.
Schoolsverified
17 buildings
A high school, a freshman campus, four middle schools and eleven elementary schools.
Major projects
New space at four elementary schools
Environmental review done April 2026A construction project repairs mechanical and electrical systems and adds about 9,000 to 9,500 square feet at East, Southeast, Southwest and Twin Pines elementary schools. The resolution does not say what the new space will hold.
Design and bid steps; no dates are posted
- Board makes its SEQRA environmental determination (Type II action)
- Board awards architectural services to H2M (start Aug 20, 2026); project link not stated
Funding
Not stated; the district funds construction through a yearly transfer to its capital fund ($36 million in 2026-27)
No cost figure appears in the resolution.
Summer 2026 building work
UnderwayAir conditioning for gyms, cafeterias and libraries, replacing portable classrooms with permanent additions at the Freshman Campus and Southwest, a culinary center, a turf football field, parking lots and a new fire alarm at the high school. The track is due spring 2027.
Track surface in spring 2027
- Board authorizes Belfor for the culinary building under a cooperative contract
- Facilities update presented to the board and public
Funding
Capital fund transfers from the general budget
The 2026-27 budget transfers $36 million to the capital fund.
Child safety zone busing
Approved by voters May 19, 2026Two zones near the Freshman Campus and the high school let the district bus students who would otherwise cross hazardous roads. Staff estimated about 13 buses and roughly $1.3 million a year.
Bus service for eligible students in the zones
- Board establishes the two child safety zones
- Voters approve the bus propositions (646-198 and 622-216)
Funding
General fund transportation budget ($42.5 million proposed for 2026-27)
The propositions were separate from the main budget vote.
Weapons screening at secondary entrances
In use at the high school and Freshman CampusAfter a three-day Evolv pilot in December 2025, the board approved Policy 8136 on metal detector use. The district said in August 2026 that Evolv is running at both schools.
Expansion decisions have not been posted
- Three-day Evolv pilot begins at Brentwood High School
- Board approves Policy 8136, Use of Metal Detectors
Funding
Pilot was free; ongoing cost is in the security budget
The security director requested added security contract funds for it in the 2026-27 budget.
Local elections & school board members
Elections & votes
Public votePassed
Proposition 2: Freshman Campus child safety zone transportation
Brentwood
Voters approved bus service for students in the Freshman Campus child safety zone, 646 to 198.
Official source · verified Oct 20, 2026
Public votePassed
Proposition 3: High School child safety zone transportation
Brentwood
Voters approved bus service for students in the Brentwood High School child safety zone, 622 to 216.
Official source · verified Oct 20, 2026
Board electionPassed
Board of Education election, two seats
Brentwood
Brandon Garcia (604 votes) and Eileen Harman (664 votes) were elected to three-year terms starting July 1, 2026; they were sworn in July 7, 2026.
Official source · verified Oct 20, 2026
Board electionProposed
2027 annual budget vote and Board of Education election
Brentwood
Brentwood holds its annual budget vote and board election each May; the 2027-28 budget calendar was adopted Sept 16, 2026. The exact 2027 date and open seats are not yet posted on the district site.
Official source · verified Oct 20, 2026
School board members
- Eileen FelixPresident[email protected]
- Julia BurgosFirst Vice President[email protected]
- Brandon GarciaSecond Vice President[email protected]
- Hassan AhmedTrustee[email protected]
- Cynthia CiferriTrustee[email protected]
- Eileen HarmanTrustee[email protected]
- Maria MalaveTrustee[email protected]
Recent news
Figures marked verified come from a district document and cite it. Calculations and outside comparisons are marked context. The picture is built from board agendas, minutes and recordings from November 2025 to October 2026, plus the district's budget, plan and policy documents.
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