Montville Board adopts 2025–26 budget after State of the District review

The Montville Township Board of Education on April 29 approved the district's 2025–26 operating budget after a State of the District presentation that outlined curriculum changes, growth in special‑education needs, facility upgrades and program expansions.

Superintendent Dr. Tom Gorman opened the presentation with a review of academic, activity, athletics and arts programming and the district's three‑to‑five year plan branded "iMontville," saying the initiative packages achievements and priorities across schools. "We're going to be using [Google Classroom] as a platform," Gorman said as he described plans to expand online classroom tools and pilot new instructional approaches.

Business Administrator Katina Slunt presented the budget details and framed the numbers as a financial representation of the district's strategic priorities. "The budget is a financial representation of the strategic plans of the board as well as the academic expectations of the district," Slunt said. She told the board the total appropriation is increasing about 3% from the prior year and outlined where revenues and costs align.

Why it matters: the budget funds classroom programs and operations that board and administrators highlighted in the State of the District review, including continued elementary implementation of the Amplify English language arts curriculum, new action‑based learning pilots for K–2, expanded special‑education supports (LIFT, ACE and Advanced ACE programs), increased dual‑enrollment offerings with Fairleigh Dickinson University and a bid to grow the Seal of Biliteracy participation.

Key facts and figures - Overall appropriation: about a 3% increase year over year (board presentation). - Average assessed home (example used by the administration): $540,000; estimated tax impact about $213 for that average assessed value and $28 for each $100,000 of assessed value. - State aid: Slunt said the recent increase in state aid was tied to enrollment and special‑education counts. - Grants/federal funding: Slunt said approximately $1 million of the district's special revenues in the presented year came from federal sources. - Health benefits: the district switched from the state health plan to a private carrier, which Slunt said reduced projected benefit cost growth from roughly 20% to about 5% on the benefits base (noted as roughly $14 million). - Debt service: payments relate to a February 2017 referendum that remains on the district's debt schedule.

Programs, pilots and facilities highlighted - Curriculum: continuation of Amplify at elementary and sixth grade, review of new science and social studies series, expansion of writing/research classes for grades 6–8, and piloting action‑based learning for K–2. - Technology and AI: districtwide rollout of Google Classroom and exploration of classroom uses for artificial intelligence; information technology and cybersecurity work cited as ongoing priorities. - Special education: expansion of LIFT (Learning Independence for Tomorrow), ACE and Advanced ACE programs and a multilingual summer academy for students needing English support. - Career and advanced study: continued dual‑enrollment courses with Fairleigh Dickinson University and growth of Seal of Biliteracy test participation. - Athletics and arts: plans to add girls wrestling and expand flag football and other offerings; a proposed theater arts summer camp and an "aerial adventure" (Project Adventure) installation under consideration for the softball field area. - Facilities: completion of security vestibules at three schools with the remaining four scheduled for completion; ongoing HVAC, painting, playground and auditorium work noted.

Board questions and public input Board members sought clarifications on program timing, special‑education summer options and facility siting. A board member identified as Joseph asked where the proposed aerial adventure would be sited; Gorman replied the first baseline of the softball field was being considered. A citizen speaker asked whether a theater camp would include special‑needs accommodations; Gorman said the administration would review demand and staffing constraints before committing.

Vote and next steps The board held a roll‑call vote to approve consent items (sections I–N on the agenda), which included the budget adoption and formal recognition of three retirees. The motion passed on a recorded roll call. Among board members recorded as voting "yes" in the transcript were: Michael Rappaport, Dr. Cordellino, Mrs. Fano, Mike Palma, Mrs. Smith and Dr. Modrack. The administration said the budget documents and selected presentation materials will be posted on the district website and summarized for families in the superintendent's update.

What remains unsettled Slunt warned the district is monitoring a potential "fiscal cliff" driven by rising costs and constrained revenue growth. She said administrators will begin early work on the 2026–27 budget and may return to the board with options to tighten appropriations, seek shared services or identify additional revenue sources.

The board also approved retirements and moved routine consent agenda items without further amendment. The administration said the security vestibule rollouts, curriculum pilots and program expansions will be among the items tracked during the coming year.