Cliffside Park board approves roughly $72 million 2025–26 budget; levy up 3.51% but within state cap

At its March 19, 2025 meeting, the Cliffside Park Board of Education approved a final 2025–26 budget of approximately $72,000,000, Board members said, including a local tax levy of about $40,950,000 — a 3.51% year-over-year increase the board said remains within New Jersey’s 2% cap after allowable adjustments for health-care and enrollment costs.

Business Administrator Lou Alfano, who presented the plan, said roughly $69,000,000 of the total is the general fund and about $3,000,000 comes from federal and state grants. "The 2025, 2026 budget, which will commence 07/01/2025 and then 06/30/2026 ... the overall budget is approximately $72,000,000," Alfano told the board during the presentation.

The budget includes a $4,000,000 capital reserve the district intends to use for facilities work, including a possible multipurpose-room renovation at School 6 and HVAC upgrades at Schools 3 and 4. Alfano cautioned that the district will follow procurement and bidding rules and that actual project scopes will depend on the bids: "That $4,000,000 capital improvement project is privy of the procurement and bidding process," he said, adding that if the multipurpose room "comes in at 2.2" million, that could…