Moorestown board adopts $2025–26 final budget after county approval

The Moorestown Township Board of Education on a roll-call vote approved the district's final budget for the 2025'26 school year after the Burlington County review returned questions and then approved the plan.

Board members opened a public hearing on the budget but no members of the public spoke before the board closed the hearing and moved to adoption. The board then took a roll-call vote approving the budget.

Board members and administrators said the budget was difficult to balance but preserved core programs and services. "This was another one of those years where it was very challenging, to get to a balanced budget that still preserved the essence and the pith of our programs and services," said Mick, a board member who participated on the finance and operations committee. "I really just wanna applaud the administration, the staff, faculty, everybody for all their work." The county earlier asked for additional documentation before approving the plan.

The district's finance and operations committee discussed several items tied to the budget during its April meeting: extended-day program finances (not part of the formal budget), no fee increases for that program this year, pending contract renewals and bids for bus routes and custodial services, multiple HVAC upgrade bids under architect review, and potential withdrawals from capital reserve for high school chiller work. The committee noted that much of the chiller work remains under warranty and that a renewal program for consumable supplies will be used where appropriate.

The district also reported donations that were listed on the meeting agenda for approval, including $4,000 from Power Engineers for the Moorestown Science Fair and smaller donations to athletics. The board heard that some bus routes remained without successful bidders and that the administration would negotiate directly with companies where needed. The district is also evaluating off-site record storage and exploring bringing more records on site to improve record-keeping and control costs.

Vote record (as announced at the meeting): Miss Arcara Burns, Yes; Missus Aurora, Yes; Missus Barnes, Yes; Missus Fowles Macaluso, Yes; Doctor Myatt, Yes; Missus Miller, Yes; Missus Moreno, Yes; Mister Weeks, Yes; Mister Villanueva, Yes. The motion passed and the budget was adopted.

Less immediate items discussed during finance committee meetings included the county'administered services that Burlington County Special Services is reviewing (see separate item), and the district's ongoing bid processes. The board did not receive public opposition during the budget hearing and closed the hearing before the vote.

The district will publish the adopted budget documents as required and proceed with operational implementation for the 2025'26 school year.