West Windsor-Plainsboro presents tentative 2025–26 budget, cites federal funding risks and health‑care spike

Dr. Dave Aderhold, superintendent of the West Windsor‑Plainsboro Regional School District, presented the district’s tentative 2025–26 budget on March 18, saying the plan uses allowable tax‑levy increases and reserve authority to absorb rising costs and shield programs from possible federal funding cuts.

The budget presentation laid out the district’s revenue constraints, major cost drivers and contingency measures. Aderhold said district officials intend to adopt and file a preliminary budget at the meeting and submit it to the county superintendent for review, followed by a public hearing and final adoption April 29.

Aderhold said salaries and benefits remain the district’s largest expense and that health‑care renewal this year produced an unusually large increase. He said a negotiated renewal and a move to a state health insurance pool limited an otherwise much larger spike; the superintendent described a 10.6% health‑care increase that he said equates to about $4.7 million, and noted that a 2% general‑fund tax‑levy increase equals about $3.7 million in the district’s figures.

Nut graf: The administration proposed using allowable spending‑growth limitation adjustments (SGLAs), banked cap and reserves to raise roughly $9.7 million in additional revenue while budgeting about $11.5…