Long-Range Strategic Plan for 2025-26 through 2029-30 presented at Board meeting

The White Plains City School District’s updated Long-Range Plan was presented to the community at the Board of Education meeting Monday, January 12, 2026. Dr. Joseph Ricca, Superintendent, and Dr. Ann Vaccaro-Teich, Assistant Superintendent for Business and Operations, outlined the district’s organizational and financial forecast through the 2029-30 school year and discussed the priorities of different departments during the presentation. 

The next budget presentation will be at the Board of Education Meeting on Monday, February 9, when the preliminary Instructional Budget will be discussed. The preliminary Non-Instructional Budget will be presented at the Board of Education Meeting on Monday, February 23. 

For eight straight years, the district has been able to reduce tax levy increases below the maximum allowable (state tax cap) due to rigorous planning. The expected increase to the tax levy in the 2026-27 preliminary budget is 1.54%, aligning with the state’s allowable tax cap. This increase reflects an additional $3.2 million to support the district’s programs and services. 

The taxpayer support of the general fund (district’s operating fund) is at a 10-year low, with 72% of the district’s funds coming from local taxes this school year. For comparison, the high was 83% in 2019-20. The remainder of the district's funding comes from the state and other local sources, such as sales tax and interest earnings. 

Since 2021-22, the state’s share of funding has increased due to legislators’ commitment to fully fund Foundation Aid as well as state implementation of certain recommendations from the Rockefeller Study. State funding is estimated to contribute 19% of the 2026-27 budget’s revenue, an increase from the low of 11% in the 2018-19 budget. 

The district observes a continuous cycle of planning and improvement in order to be prepared for any unexpected fiscal challenges without impacting programs and services. Continuous, proactive planning helps the district navigate outside factors such as inflation, state and federal requirements, and changes to state and federal aid.  

“We don’t have a budget season in the White Plains City School District; we are always in budget season,” said Dr. Ricca. “We’re always thinking about the future, even as we’re putting into place the programming for today.” 

The district’s Long-Range Plan takes into account budgets over multiple years, showing decisions necessary to maintain programmatic and fiscal stability in the long-term. It also helps administrators and the Board of Education to consider the long-term impact of present-day decisions. The Long-Range Plan is closely connected to the Strategic Plan and is designed to meet its objectives of educating and supporting students and partnering with students, families and the community. 

Continuous planning also allows the district to achieve continuous improvement. The district conducts an ongoing review of its programs and services that consists of assessing, designing, implementing, and evaluating the results. 

As a part of the planning process, the district conducts a demographic study every year. Enrollment is expected to remain stable over the next several years.  

The guiding principles of the district’s planning process are to protect the instructional core, evaluate needs vs. wants, preserve investments and prevent costs, find efficiencies and share services, minimize program impact, and reduce or restructure programs and services rather than eliminate them.  

Dr. Ricca and Dr. Vaccaro-Teich discussed the economic status and outlook of the district, explaining the potential impact of changes in federal policies and the impact on the tax levy cap due to increases in PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreements between the County of Westchester Industrial Development Agency, the City of White Plains and property developers. They explained the various strategies that the district has used and will employ to close any potential budgetary gaps without negatively impacting its instructional programs. 

Over the past nine years, the district has utilized over $191 million from its annual savings and reserves to reduce and/or limit the property tax burden on the community. One of the biggest savings to the taxpayer has been not to raise the tax levy to the maximum allowable by law. Over $26.7 million has not been raised. With an average taxable property assessment of 15,000, this has saved the taxpayer $1,445 per year in annual taxes. 

In addition, over $71.3 million in savings has been utilized to fund capital projects, preserving the district’s assets and eliminating the need to issue debt and pay interest expense. Further, the district is self-funded for tax certiorari refunds to commercial property owners and payments to employees leaving the district’s employ. Funds have also been used to pay off debt early and fund future debt payments, as well using funds for one-time only expenses and preventing increases in the annual budget. 

“It really represents the work that everyone has been doing over the last nine years,” said Dr. Vaccaro-Teich. “Doing these long-range plans, doing multiple fund balance projections to really understand where we’re going to land and how to best utilize our resources, always looking for efficiencies all towards the eye of reducing that taxpayer burden.” 

The financial forecast of the district summarized revenue and expenditure assumptions. The largest expense is the 1,200-plus full-time staff members the district employs, representing 74% instructional staff, 22% support staff and 4% administration. Projections reflect the current staffing levels and salaries in accordance with existing collective bargaining unit agreements, along with increases in projected benefits based on market trends. 

Other projected increases include utilities and contractual expenses. The district is planning for an additional increase to utilities during the 2027-28 school year when the high school addition is opened. Pupil transportation is also expected to rise 5% from 2025-26 to 2027-28 and 3% in subsequent years. 

Due to favorable bids for the 2022 capital projects for HVAC, the district will be able to use those savings to provide HVAC in the gyms, resource rooms and offices at each of the buildings. In addition, favorable bids were received for the HS innovation Wing, Rochambeau and Elementary Schools renovations, which allows the district to fund the HS serving line and reduce the amount of authorized borrowing from $60m to $50m, saving taxpayers $7m in interest over the life of the bond, or $355 annually in taxes.  

The district has various strategies prepared to address increasing expenses through 2029-30. Strategies include retirement incentives, evaluation of revenue estimates, additional lease revenue, reducing expenses and negotiating sustainable contractual increases. For the 2025-26 school year, the district employed similar strategies to close a $7.5m budget gap, which helped reduce the projected budget gap for 2026-27. 

Departmental plans were then presented, beginning with Curriculum and Instruction. The strategic plan for instruction is aimed at ensuring engaging and innovative learning experiences, providing necessary structures and resources, and collaborating with students, families and the community. 

Highlights of the department's long-term plan include continued professional learning opportunities for existing initiatives, aligning the middle school science sequence with New York State Science Learning Standards, and developing a plan of action for Multi-tiered System of Support implementation in grades K-12. Other highlights include program evaluations, establishing a dance program, and building capacity across the district in developing a working knowledge of the Portrait of a Graduate 

Portrait of a Graduate is a framework designed by the New York State Education Department to illustrate the qualities a student should possess by the time they graduate. According to Portrait of a Graduate, a student should be academically prepared, a creative innovator, a critical thinker, an effective communicator, a global citizen, and reflective and future focused. 

The plan for Curriculum and Instruction is aimed at continuous improvement of programs, support and opportunities for all students. Other highlights outlined ways that the district can continue to bring new initiatives to its students and improve existing programs. 

“Kudos to all of my colleagues, who are constantly looking to refresh the course offerings for your students year to year,” said Dr. Ricca, remarking on the introduction of a Sports Marketing course. 

The Office of Special Education and Pupil Services' long-range plan focuses on implementing a framework to move forward with work in areas that need improvement. The department also plans to expand on the cycle of improvement for classified students’ proficiency in early literacy, developed in partnership with New York State, and expand the review cycle to upper elementary literacy. 

The plan also includes staff development to support implementation of the White Plains Transition Toolkit and building knowledge and understanding of the Pathways to Graduation and Portrait of a Graduate. The department will also continue analyzing the evolving needs of students and expanding supports. 

The Operations Department's long-range plan includes the goals and objectives for Athletics, the Business Office, Facilities and Operations, the Family Information Center, Food and Nutrition, Health Services, Human Resources, Information Technology, Pupil Transportation, Purchasing, Records Management, and Safety and Security. 

These plans are aimed at moving forward the strategic goals and objectives of the district through the reallocation of existing resources. Each department’s priorities are geared towards improving the student experience in a cost-effective manner. As a part of its projections, the district has planned for any increases in operating costs necessary for the addition of the HS Innovation Wing. 

The full presentation can be viewed by clicking here. For the Spanish presentation, click here. You can watch the live stream by clicking here.