High Point board adopts tentative $24.8 million 2025–26 budget, says district will use one-year health‑care adjustment to exceed 2% cap

The High Point Regional High School Board of Education on March 17 approved a tentative budget for the 2025–26 school year that the board described as necessary to maintain programs and staffing amid reduced state aid.

Chair (S1) presented the budget, saying the general fund totals $24,775,726 and special revenue totals $554,839, and that taxes to be raised for the general fund would be $18,427,865. The chair framed the vote as consequential: "I consider this one of, if not the most important vote that I make as a board member because it is through our budget that we fund the operations of the school." The chair said the administration, the finance committee and the business administrator recommended exceeding the 2% cap for 2025–26 by using a single-year health‑care adjustment available under state statute.

Nut graf: The board said the decision responds to a multiyear decline in state aid and lingering inflationary pressures on transportation, energy and other operating costs. The chair told the board that High Point has lost roughly "just shy of $3,000,000" in state aid over the past seven to eight years and cited a near‑$800,000 loss in fiscal 2022 as context for the current approach.

In discussion, the chair explained that the health‑care adjustment is a one‑time mechanism included in state law that districts may use in a single year to account for sharp increases in insurance costs; a board member (S4) agreed that many districts that lost aid are likely to use the same option this year. The board then took a roll‑call vote; members recorded affirmative votes and the tentative budget was approved.

Action details: Motion to adopt the tentative 2025–26 budget was made by the Chair (S1) and seconded (second speaker not named on the record). Roll call recorded affirmative votes from named board members. The board characterized the action as the submission of the tentative budget to the county superintendent for review and advertisement in the New Jersey Herald as required by statute.

Clarifying note: Some totals read aloud in the meeting transcript were garbled and inconsistent (a spreadsheet total read aloud did not reconcile in the recording). The clear line items the board stated and approved in public were the general‑fund amount ($24,775,726), special revenue ($554,839) and the taxes to be raised for the general fund ($18,427,865). Other line totals announced in the recording appeared to be misread and are listed in the meeting material; the board directed the secretary to submit the budget to the county superintendent per procedure.

The board indicated the tentative budget addresses health and safety facility needs, capital spending and program integrity; the chair said further detail would be available with the advertised budget documents and during later hearings where the public may comment.