Verona Board of Education proposes 3.53% tax-levy increase to close $1.5M budget gap; aims to avoid program cuts

The Verona Board of Education on March 11 reviewed a tentative 2025–26 budget that would raise the school district’s tax levy by 3.53% to close an estimated $1.5 million gap, administrators said.

Superintendent Giuseppe said the package was the most difficult budget of his 14 years in New Jersey schools and credited Business Administrator Cruz for work narrowing the shortfall without broad program cuts. “This budget was clearly the hardest budget I’ve ever had to deal with,” the superintendent said, noting efforts to preserve classroom instruction while responding to rising benefit costs.

Business Administrator (identifying as “Eppi”) said Verona received a roughly 6% increase in state aid and will embed a prior-year surplus into the tentative budget. He reported a $590,000 increase in benefits and described a combination of revenue changes — including interest earnings and facility-use fees — that together with the surplus and state aid offset part of the need to raise the levy.

The district presented a breakdown of expenditures of about $45,000,006.96, saying general education instruction represents about 31.7% of spending, with benefits and special-education costs among the largest drivers. The administration said it plans a pilot this spring for new K–5 English language arts materials (12 teachers to pilot with an estimated $100,000 for materials and training) and will continue multi-year implementation of existing math and character-education programs.

Board members emphasized trade-offs. Administrators said choosing a 2% levy increase would produce banked cap credits but likely require personnel reductions; one board member warned a 2% limit “would mean losing at least four teachers” and could increase class sizes. The administration said three positions are being removed in the proposed budget and that, overall, the plan sought to avoid reducing program offerings.

The board and administrators also discussed Chapter 44, a state change that altered how staff health-benefit contributions are calculated for employees hired after 2020. District leaders said Chapter 44 effectively shifts more costs to districts and will continue to strain budgets until at least the law’s sunset date; they noted the district is using a health-waiver mechanism to offset some of this year’s costs.

Next steps: the board will submit the tentative budget to the county office by March 19. The county has until April 22 to review and return it; the district expects a public presentation of the final budget on April 29 and will advertise the proposed budget for public review once the county returns it.

Quotations in this article come from board meeting remarks on March 11, 2025, as recorded in the Verona Board of Education transcript.