Roxbury board adopts tentative 2025–26 budget, cites long-term state aid losses and program investments

The Roxbury Township Board of Education on April 28 adopted a tentative 2025–26 budget that raises the local tax levy 4.37% to $65,092,464 and relies on one-time and formula adjustments to close gaps created by multiyear state-aid changes.

Superintendent Dr. Santora introduced the budget presentation and credited staff and administrators for building what he called “a balanced tentative budget,” while Business Administrator Mr. Mondanero walked the board and the public through revenue, expenditure and facilities items that shaped the plan.

The vote to approve the finance, education and personnel resolution blocks passed on roll call; the board also approved a motion to meet again in executive session. Board members registered a small number of recusals and abstentions on individual line items during the roll calls.

Why it matters: Roxbury officials said the district has lost roughly $5.2 million in state aid since 2020, a shift administrators tied to changes in the state funding formula and categorical aid flows. District leaders said the reductions have constrained operating choices even as the school system continues to fund special-education programs, safety and classroom supports.

Budget highlights and program investments

- Multi-tiered supports and assessment tools: Dr. Santora described the district’s progress implementing a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS). The district has adopted the Linkit data platform and benchmark assessments in grades 3–8 to align interventions with the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA). Dr. Santora said the district uses benchmark data to “structure tailored instructional services and programs for students based on real time” performance data.

- Special-education expansion: Administrators said the district will add two elementary autism programs (one at Nixon and another at EMS) for 2025–26 to serve existing and incoming students locally. The business administrator stated special-education costs total about $19 million this year, with roughly $4 million in state aid and $1 million in federal aid — leaving the remainder to local taxpayers.

- Safety and wellness measures: The presentation listed several safety steps taken this year: installation of speed tables at the high school and EMS campus, a school resource officer partnership with Roxbury Police (Officer Santos), and a cell-phone ban at Roxbury High School. Dr. Santora said the SRO began service in December and has helped with student interventions as well as schoolwide programs.

- Mental-health and character initiatives: The district won a New Jersey District of Character award and is under review for the National District of Character honor. The district also piloted the Zones of Regulation curriculum and expanded individual and small-group student supports.

- Facilities and capital priorities: Mr. Mondanero outlined completed and planned projects: food-service kitchen upgrades, new generators for Roosevelt, Lincoln, Central Office and Franklin (purchased through a prior grant), replacement of roofing and windows across buildings, and continued HVAC and rooftop unit planning. He noted Roxbury High School is fully air-conditioned, EMS is 50% conditioned (with work scheduled to continue), and several elementary cafeterias and older classrooms still rely on window or split units.

- Revenue and levy mechanics: The board’s proposed general-fund increase is 1.65% overall; the local tax levy was set at $65,092,464, a 4.37% increase from the prior year. Mr. Mondanero explained the district used available adjustments (banked cap, a health-benefit adjustment and a student enrollment adjustment) to reach a levy above the statutory 2% cap without a public referendum. He also presented the state’s adequacy figure (the state-calculated spending level) of about $66.7 million and the state’s local fair-share calculation of about $69.5 million.

State aid and trends

Administrators described an extended decline in state equalization aid, saying state aid was nearly $12.9 million in 2020 and is projected at roughly $6.9 million for 2026. “That’s a loss right there of what about 5,200,000.0 give or take,” Mr. Mondanero said in the presentation. He also singled out Chapter 44 health-benefit changes enacted by the state, which he said cost the district roughly $1,600 per affected employee and contributed to rising benefits costs (the district’s benefits rose about 15% this year, for roughly $1.8 million in additional expense).

Programs and community engagement

Administrators highlighted superintendent coffees, parent education nights (math and literacy nights), new parent formats at the high-school level, shared-service agreements with nearby districts (transportation, maintenance, technology and purchasing contracts), and workforce transition opportunities for special-education students (on-campus work in transportation/maintenance and a new high-school coffee/snack bar staffed by students as part of transition programming).

Votes at a glance

- Finance resolutions 1–33: Moved by Board Member Carol; seconded by Eddie. Approved on roll call. The board recorded recusals by Miss Shanick on specified bills in the bills list (Shanick stated she was recusing on account 1POPO25-4002 and on a few travel/board-request items); the board passed the block with the remaining members voting in favor.

- Education resolutions 1–10: Approved on roll call. No recorded recusals on the education block.

- Personnel resolutions 1–15: Approved on roll call. The record shows multiple individual recusals/abstentions on personnel line items (board members identified specific items during roll call and either recused or abstained as recorded); the remainder of the block carried.

- Motion to meet in executive session (May): Approved.

What board members said

Dr. Santora opened the presentation by thanking staff and saying, “I have never worked in a district with more amazing staff.” Mr. Mondanero described a possible future athletic dome project and estimated that a leased dome “would most likely pay itself off within about 10 years,” while saying the project is on hold amid funding pressures.

Next steps and context

Administrators said the budget presented is tentative and that the board will continue to review details in committee and at subsequent public meetings. The superintendent and business administrator emphasized structural pressures — declining equalization aid and rising health and special-education costs — as drivers of budget choices. Administrators also encouraged residents to attend public events tied to special education (CPAC) and the superintendent’s monthly coffee series.

Ending

Board members moved and approved the minutes, committee reports and the resolution blocks presented at the April 28 meeting. Administrators said they reduced an initial multi-million-dollar deficit through a series of budget decisions and that the district will continue seeking grants, shared services and targeted program changes to hold operating increases to a minimum.