Montgomery board approves tentative 2025–26 budget submission after debate over health-benefit waiver

The Montgomery Township Board of Education voted March 18 to submit its tentative 2025–26 budget to the county superintendent after a presentation from Business Administrator Andrew Italiano and discussion among board members, district staff and union leaders. The board’s action authorizes filing the preliminary budget required by statute; the budget can be amended before the final public hearing and adoption on April 29.

Business Administrator Andrew Italiano and Superintendent Mary McLaughlin presented a preliminary budget built around a 2 percent tax levy increase. Italiano said the district’s current tax levy is $89,042,150 and the board-supported 2 percent increase equals $1,780,843, producing a tentative levy of about $90,822,993. Italiano said the district could have a higher legal maximum levy under certain adjustments but that the administration formulated the budget around the 2 percent figure the board supported.

The presentation laid out major drivers and offsets: state aid fell about 3 percent (a reduction Italiano estimated at $255,980), the district plans to use some reserves and fund balance, and capital and maintenance needs are significant. Italiano highlighted four proposed capital items funded in part with one-time resources or ROD grant matches: an ADA-compliant walkway (about $450,000), a roof-top HVAC unit at the high school ($325,000), a UMS roof replacement (board share roughly $1,153,830) and a UMS chiller replacement (board share roughly $279,030). He also said proposed cuts total about $3.43 million across positions, facilities/equipment and other areas.

The health-benefit adjustment, commonly known as the health waiver, drew the most contentious discussion. Italiano told the board the waiver amount in the draft was about $779,882 and that including it in the levy would raise the district’s tax base and thereby reduce the scale of cuts needed. He quantified the household impact in approximate terms: adding the waiver would equal roughly $150–$170 per year for an $800,000 home in Montgomery in his initial estimate.

Union leaders and other speakers urged the board to include the waiver. Jen Bedell, Administrators Association president, told the board removing the waiver “will devastate the district” over several years by driving repeated rounds of staff reductions. “With those monies removed from the budget base … another 8 will be cut this year,” Bedell said, and she warned of cumulative cuts in coming years. Mike Rosoli, president of the Montgomery Township Education Association, urged the board to “budget to cap and utilize all of the funds,” saying not doing so was “short sighted” and would force higher class sizes and reduced programs.

Board members pressed for more detail before final adoption. Board member (reported in the meeting as) Miss Filak asked for clarification about which facility and consultant fees were in the cuts and whether professional development reductions were targeted. Italiano offered to walk through account-level details with trustees and administrators in the coming weeks and said the tentative filing is a statutory step: “This is preliminary tonight. Nothing is final,” he said.

The board approved the motion to submit the tentative budget by roll call and the administration will file the budget with the county superintendent by the March 19 deadline. The board may revisit items — including adding some or all of the health waiver — before the April 29 public hearing and final adoption. The transcript records at least one No vote during the roll call (Doctor White voted No); the motion passed overall by roll call.

What’s next: the tentative budget goes to the county superintendent for review tomorrow; the board and administration will continue committee- and staff-level work on cuts, potential restorations and account-level questions ahead of the April 29 final public hearing and vote.

Votes at a glance

- Tentative 2025–26 budget and submission to the county superintendent (agenda item 3.7): Approved (motion and roll call; Dr. White recorded as voting No). The motion’s mover and seconder were not specified on the record. The item is explicitly marked tentative; changes can be made before final adoption on April 29.