Collingswood board asks borough for $3 million in recurring funding, adopts resolution

On Feb. 10, 2025, the Collingswood Board of Education voted to adopt a resolution asking the Borough of Collingswood to provide $3 million in ongoing annual revenue and to allocate a share of pilot‑agreement proceeds to the school district to avert program and staff reductions.

Board President Chu opened the special session and introduced a presentation from Dr. Medall, who described a multi‑year structural deficit the district has tracked since 2014. Dr. Medall said rising costs, expiring federal one‑time funds and flat state aid created a “triple squeeze” on the district. He told the board the district’s year‑over‑year cost increases were $3.4 million for 2023–24 and $4.0 million for 2024–25, and presented a current estimated operating shortfall of roughly $2.6 million to $3.7 million depending on final state aid and enrollment figures.

“The way the state defines a thorough and efficient education relates in essence to adequate facilities and qualified instructors,” Dr. Medall said, adding that Collingswood’s local funding and program expectations mean the district needs more than the state’s baseline to sustain services.

During discussion, Business Administrator Miss Coleman explained the numbers came from a line‑by‑line budget review; she said transportation and special‑education costs are especially volatile, reporting roughly $700,000 spent so far this year and an estimate of $1.0–1.1 million for next year. Board members pressed on the assumptions for state aid and for one‑time federal purchases (ESSER) that had covered equipment and curricular materials in prior years.

President Chu framed the resolution as a request for borough action, not a board appropriation: if the borough agrees, the borough’s governing body would decide whether to use its levy‑bank capacity or redirect pilot revenue to the schools. The resolution asks the borough to raise $3,000,000 in its 2025 budget and to commit at least 10% of revenues from existing pilot agreements and 50% of revenues from new pilot agreements to the school budget going forward.

Mayor Jim Maley, who spoke during public comment, said the borough is willing to work with the district but warned that the magnitude of the ask would increase the average property tax bill by about $670 annually on a $450,000 assessed home and would require public engagement. “We’re more than happy to enter into a partnership to try to figure out your budget,” he said, while urging that the teachers’ union be included in discussions.

Teachers, union leaders and principals who spoke during public comment stressed the urgency for staff retention and higher pay and urged that any borough‑district negotiations include the negotiating teams for employee contracts. Several residents and local advocates thanked the board for statewide advocacy on funding and called for transparent communication about impacts on households.

The motion to adopt the resolution carried on a unanimous roll call of members present. The resolution directs the board president and vice president to deliver the request to Mayor Jim Maley and to Borough Commissioners Robert Lewandowski and Morgan Robinson and to pursue meetings with borough leadership. Board members said they will weigh borough feedback alongside final state aid figures before making budget changes for the 2025–26 school year.

The meeting also approved one ministerial item, the NJ CUSAC DPR submission, and spent the remainder of public participation on operational issues including donated Chromebook distribution, ongoing internet outages that administrators said will require network switch maintenance, bathroom access/supervision at secondary schools and space‑rental costs for Good Shepherd.

Next steps: the board has sent the adopted resolution to borough officials for consideration and expects follow‑up discussions; the district’s budget must be submitted to the state in March and finalized at the April public hearing, and administrators said they will prepare contingency reductions if a borough commitment is not secured in time.