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South Orange–Maplewood board approves sending preliminary 2025–26 budget to county; leaders say no layoffs planned
Summary
At its March 13 meeting the South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education voted to submit the district’s preliminary 2025–26 budget to the county superintendent. Presenters emphasized using the state enrollment figure, a $5 million facilities increase, projected use of audited fund balance, and an intention to avoid reductions in force.
The South Orange–Maplewood Board of Education voted March 13 to send its preliminary 2025–26 budget to the county executive superintendent, a procedural step required before final adoption.
Board President Nubia Duell Wilson opened the meeting by reminding the public that the vote would only authorize submission of the preliminary budget to the county, not final adoption. “This is not a meeting to vote on the budget. Tonight, we vote to allow our district to send along the preliminary budget to the county executive superintendent,” she said, and noted the March 19 submission deadline and an April 24 date for budget adoption.
Superintendent Jason Bing and district staff presented the draft budget and the assumptions behind it. Bing told the board the draft showed no planned reductions in force: “There are no risks. There are no reductions in force,” he said, and described a multi‑year approach that includes a roughly $5,000,000 increase for facilities to address deferred maintenance. Presenters said the district used the state’s enrollment projection of 7,143 students for planning while acknowledging alternative local projections show lower enrollment and recommending a new demographic study.
Budget documents and slides reviewed by the board showed the district expects most operating revenue to continue to come from the local tax levy and cited modest state aid growth and an extraordinary‑aid estimate budgeted at $2.5 million. Presenters reviewed audited fund balance figures and planned draws: the June 30, 2024 audited fund balance was cited at about $32 million, with previously recorded uses of fund balance and projected draws discussed for fiscal years 2025 and 2026. District staff said they plan to use $2,500,000 of the maintenance reserve for one‑time projects to address urgent facilities needs.
Board members pressed for more detail on how enrollment outcomes will affect revenue and asked for clearer, department‑level comparisons of 2024–25 actuals to 2025–26 projections. Several members requested more granular transportation cost breakdowns and per‑pupil cost figures to be included with the April presentation. District staff said additional analyses and town halls are planned between the submission and final adoption.
The board approved the resolutions on the agenda — including the preliminary budget submission and related housekeeping items — by roll call. The resolutions read into the record included identifiers cited by staff as 45‑85a and 47‑35b/c. The board will continue to refine the budget between the March 19 upload and the April final adoption hearing.
Next steps: the district will submit the preliminary budget by March 19 to the county executive superintendent for review; staff and board members said they will provide the community with more detailed breakdowns before the April public hearing and the April 24 final adoption meeting.
