Photo by N. Bower

By Bronxville Superintendent Rachel Kelly and the Bronxville School Board of Education

May 13, 2026: Welcome to this year’s Bronxville School Budget Newsletter.

As we plan for the future, we remain deeply committed to the Bronxville Promise — providing every student with an exceptional educational experience that inspires academic excellence through leadership, critical thinking, innovation, engaged citizenship, and belonging. Our distinguished programs across all areas including academics, the arts, athletics, and student wellness continue to set Bronxville apart, and this budget reflects our ongoing investment in the outstanding opportunities that prepare students to thrive in an ever-changing world. We could not do it without the community’s extraordinary and unwavering dedication to our School.

Below are the Questions and Answers outlined in the Budget Newsletter as well as information related to questions that have been asked of us over the past few weeks that we thought you’d find helpful.

Questions and Answers

Q: What are the major cost drivers in the proposed budget 

A: There has been a large gap between operating budgets and inflation over the last five years. Although the inflation factor for the tax levy cap is limited to 2%, the CPI for the same last five years is up nearly 20%, while our budgets and tax levy increases over that period have risen only 7%. Health care benefit costs have been rising at three times the rate of inflation as well. Exceeding the tax levy cap this year with a 4.8% increase, while still trailing well below recent inflation, will position the District to stay under the cap for at least two years. Most of our peers have either exceeded the cap previously or had higher tax levy caps due to composition of their assessment roll. Budget discipline has resulted in budget and tax levy increases 20% below inflation over the last 17 years with no net change in overall enrollment. 

Q: Since the 4.8% tax levy increase is over the calculated levy limit of 1.94%, how will the District be able to meet its needs? 

A: A 60% supermajority of those who vote on the budget is required to override the calculated tax levy cap. Our voting margins have consistently been in the 80%+ range over the last decade. We are proposing a budget that keeps our current programs in place while catching up with inflationary pressures. 

Q: What cuts would be necessary to stay within the tax levy cap? 

A: Reducing the budget by well over $1,000,000 would only be possible by reducing headcount. As most of our staff provide direct student instruction, class sizes at all levels and high school advanced electives would be impacted, as well as athletic and performing arts programs. 

Q: Has the Board reviewed possible budget cuts in areas outside of programming?

A: The Board reviews all areas of the budget annually in order to determine any reductions of budgetary areas prior to the development of the next year’s budget.  This includes areas such as administration, non-instructional staffing, and communication.

Administration

Bronxville’s leadership structure is regularly reviewed for efficiency and was recently streamlined. Upon her appointment, Superintendent Dr. Kelly retained direct oversight of Human Resources, eliminating the need for a separate Director or Assistant Superintendent—a departure from standard district models. Additionally, the Director of Counseling maintains an active student caseload, reducing the requirement for additional high school guidance staff. Finally, the District leverages its single-building campus by employing just one Assistant Principal to serve both the Middle and High Schools. 

Non instructional Staffing

Bronxville’s administrative assistants provide essential support to principals and assistant principals while managing daily attendance records. Any further staffing reductions would jeopardize the District's ability to meet critical administrative functions, including mandatory New York State reporting requirements.  

Communication

Recently, the Board and Administrative Team prioritized enhancing District communications. This strategic focus led to several key initiatives: the launch of the weekly Bronco Beat newsletter, an expanded social media presence showcasing our programs, the introduction of Board of Education meeting summaries, an updated and enhanced website, and the production of videos highlighting our schools' distinctive features.

Warm regards,

Rachel L. Kelly, Ph.D.

Superintendent of Schools

Board of Education 

Edward Lennon, President

Sara Kenny, Vice President

Michael Brandes

Susan Connniff

Miki Kapoor

Peter McSherry

Christina Skinner