Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Glen Ridge BOE unveils tentative 2025–26 budget with 3.5% tax levy increase
Summary
The Glen Ridge Board of Education presented a tentative 2025–26 budget that would raise the local tax levy 3.5%, use reserve withdrawals for paving and capital projects, and fund a mix of staff and facilities changes. The board approved routine minutes, personnel and other consent items and moved the budget to a public hearing on April 29.
Glen Ridge Public School District officials presented a proposed 2025–26 tentative budget at the board meeting, including a 3.5% increase in the local tax levy and withdrawals from district reserves to fund paving and capital projects.
The superintendent said the tentative budget “keeps students at its center,” and Business Administrator Barbara Murphy detailed the district’s revenue and appropriation plan, noting rising health benefit costs and a $142,193, or 6%, increase in state aid.
The proposed budget relies heavily on local property taxes, with the tax levy making up about 84% of projected revenue, state aid about 6% and the budgeted fund balance 4.8%. The administration plans to use a $400,000 maintenance-reserve withdrawal for paving repairs at Linden, Central and Ridgewood Avenue schools and an $811,235 withdrawal from the capital reserve to support capital projects.
Murphy told the board that salary and benefits account for roughly 78% of expenditures. Regular education instruction is listed at $14,332,742 and special education instruction at $2,905,000. Employee benefit costs are projected to rise by 12.5%, driven by a reported 14% increase in medical premiums and a 20% increase in prescription costs.
Capital outlay rises sharply (listed as a 132% increase) because of planned projects and the planned capital-reserve withdrawal. The administration proposed specific project line items including Promethean boards ($72,000), copier replacements ($53,456), musical instruments ($8,000), Ridgewood Avenue School basement flooring ($142,203), high school HVAC upgrades ($217,248), a partial high school roof replacement ($288,200), high school offices flooring and abatement ($61,312), and high school gym bleacher replacement ($244,475). The district also listed an annual SDA-related debt service assessment of $24,241.
To help cover rising costs, the tentative budget assumes a $400,000 maintenance-reserve withdrawal and the $811,235 capital-reserve withdrawal described above. The administration also plans staff reductions totaling $199,644 while adding a one-to-one nurse position. The superintendent said the district will continue refining details before the public hearing.
Murphy said the average homeowner with a property assessed at $674,910 would see an estimated tax increase of $412.42 annually, or $34.37 monthly, under the proposed levy. The administration noted allowable exceptions to New Jersey’s 2% tax-cap rule apply; the district has been granted the health-benefit premium exception that permits the levy increase amount needed to offset higher premiums ($521,561 of the levy increase tied to benefit costs, per the presentation).
Board members asked clarifying questions about preschool tuition numbers, nonresident tuition and student sectioning; administration said tentative numbers would be refined and that more detail will be available at the public hearing. The board set a public hearing and final adoption vote for April 29.
Votes at a glance: the board approved routine minutes, administrative, personnel, curriculum and business consent items (including moving the tentative budget to the April 29 public hearing). All recorded roll-call items carried.
Next steps: the board will hold a public hearing on the tentative budget on April 29, when the administration will present additional detail and the board is scheduled to vote on adoption.
