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Verona board flags Trees for Schools grant after reimbursement change, business-administrator vacancy
Summary
Board members said a recent change in the grant’s reimbursement schedule and heavy paperwork — combined with the district’s limited business-administrator coverage — may force Verona Public School District to decline a Trees for Schools grant that would require roughly $41,364 in upfront district funds.
The Verona Board of Education on Tuesday discussed whether to accept a Trees for Schools grant after the program changed its reimbursement rules and the district said it lacks the staff bandwidth to manage the award now.
The superintendent said the grant’s reimbursement terms were altered between application rounds: instead of 70% up front, districts now must front roughly 80% of project costs and wait for reimbursement, which the superintendent said may not arrive until September 2026. "That would mean that this district would need to find $41,364 in order to buy the trees and and take care of them," the superintendent said. The superintendent also said the program now requires substantially more paperwork, much of which falls to the business administrator.
The timing coincides with an ongoing search for a new business administrator. Jorge Cruz, the board secretary, said round 1 interviews have finished and three finalists advance to a second round the week of Sept. 15; the district has secured an interim business administrator, Steve Robinson, who will be on site three days a week. The superintendent said the limited interim schedule and the volume of grant paperwork make it unlikely the district could meet the grant’s administrative requirements if awarded now.
Board members repeatedly signaled reluctance to obligate district funds while administrative capacity is constrained. "If this is something where it's not the best interest of Verona ... I could live with that," one board member said. Another member said many districts have dropped the program after the reimbursement change and urged caution.
The superintendent said she will attend the mandatory grant workshop on Sept. 19 to gather more details and report back. She also noted Verona was approached to apply by the township Shade Tree Commission and Sustainable Jersey, and that the district could reapply in a future round if the terms or its capacity change.
No formal vote on the grant acceptance took place; the item remained a discussion and staff follow-up. The board did not authorize expenditure of the $41,364 or otherwise commit district funds at the meeting.
Why it matters: accepting the grant under the revised terms would require the district to carry a sizable short-term outlay and to assign significant business-office time to grant documentation while the district is operating with an interim business administrator part time. The board’s decision will shape whether Verona pursues tree-planting work this funding cycle or delays to a time when it can support the project administratively.
