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Metuchen technology budget shows steep preliminary increase; administration seeks cuts to meet 2% cap
Summary
District technology staff presented a preliminary 2025–26 technology budget with a 6.2% increase driven by greater bandwidth, classroom phones/intercoms and rising licensing and device costs; administrators said they will pursue reductions to reach the district's 2% tax levy cap.
The Metuchen Board of Education heard a presentation on the district's preliminary 2025–26 technology budget Tuesday, where staff said a 6.2% increase from the current year is being refined to stay under the 2% cap on tax levy growth.
District technology staff said the increase is driven primarily by higher connectivity and subscription costs, expanded classroom telephony/intercom support tied to recent equipment additions, and growing device and licensing prices. The presenter said the district is negotiating with vendors and evaluating service changes intended to bring the number down before the March preliminary budget hearing and the April final hearing.
The budget presenter said the district upgraded its wide-area network backbone to 10 gigabit speeds and increased internet service from 1 gigabit to 5 gigabits after experiencing capacity limits. The presentation also noted a rise in incident-tracking and inventory subscription costs…
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