Ridgefield Park board adopts 2025–26 budget as state begins process to end monitorship

The Ridgefield Park Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to adopt its 2025–26 school budget, and board leaders said the state monitor has initiated the process to release the district from state oversight.

President Martinez told the public the state monitor "could not be with us today, but he has reviewed and agrees with the budget proposed for a vote tonight." The board then approved resolutions 13‑01 through 13‑32, including resolution 13‑08 to adopt the 2025–26 budget, on a roll-call vote with every trustee voting yes.

The vote finalizes a budget the board and administration presented after county review. During committee reports Trustee McNeil said the county approved the preliminary 2025–26 budget in advance of the board meeting and that the administration had circulated a "user friendly budget" to trustees and the public. McNeil said federal funding for 2024–25 had been approved and that the administration expects 2025–26 federal funding to be reduced by about 10 percent "at the guidance of the county." The board also discussed options to move any year-end savings into maintenance, tuition or capital reserves and to maintain a 1.5 percent carryover; McNeil said the district hopes to be released from state monitorship so it can carry forward up to 2 percent.

Finance committee materials presented specific capital needs. The committee reported an auditor projection and noted a partial academic‑wing roof replacement is budgeted at approximately $2,100,000; trustees were told that cost will be covered from the district's capital reserve account. The board also reviewed revised contractual language for the Dakara and Rubino agreement to ensure the district is billed only for supervision of projects that move forward.

In remarks before the vote, a trustee described the levy increase as reflecting the district's infrastructure needs and said the budget was designed to avoid staff cuts while preserving student services. President Martinez and other trustees thanked the administration and community for work that, they said, contributed to the district's financial progress.

Trustees who voted yes in the roll call were: Mister Cooney, Mister Phytros, Miss McNeil, Mister Malue, Miss Rodriguez, Miss Schmidt, Miss Velez, Miss Orth and President Martinez. After the vote there was applause in the meeting room when trustees reiterated that the state monitor had begun the release process; board members said an official release is expected to be presented at a future meeting.

The board held a special budget hearing earlier in the meeting to invite public comment; no budget‑specific public comments were raised during that hearing. Next steps described by trustees include continued monthly finance‑committee oversight of transfers and the administration completing the collaborative audit process scheduled to conclude May 9.