Finance committee flags budget pressures; district seeks expanded transportation staffing
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Summary
Finance & Operations committee told the board that rising health-benefit and out-of-district tuition costs make the 2026–27 budget challenging; the administration proposed a 12-month transportation coordinator role and said driver staffing is near full strength with a 30-driver target.
The board's Finance & Operations committee provided a detailed operational update on Dec. 16, warning of pressure on next year's budget and outlining staffing and procurement steps.
Committee leadership said federal audit guidelines were delayed because of a federal government shutdown but that the district submitted required summaries and completed its audit. Committee members said rising health-benefit costs, unexpected out-of-district tuition and higher transportation expenses will complicate the 2026'27 budget and limit how much can be transferred to capital and maintenance reserves.
On transportation, the committee described a restructured plan that would replace a dispatcher-only model with a supervisor plus a 12-month transportation coordinator and a 10-month secretary to improve phone coverage and continuity. The committee said the district is "fully staffed for the first time in a while with drivers" and reported roughly 27'28 drivers available, with a target of 30 to stabilize operations.
The committee also said construction-manager and environmental-consultant RFPs have been opened and are under evaluation, and it noted a plan to work with NJ ARM for investment management of bond proceeds within statutory restrictions.
Why it matters: Staffing, procurement and rising benefit/tuition costs feed into the district's budget process and can affect class sizes, programming and capital projects.
What's next: Budget planning will intensify after the state opens budget software in January; committees will continue reviewing bids and bring recommendations to the full board.