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Hopewell Valley board adopts tentative budget, citing health‑benefit and enrollment waivers to limit immediate tax impact
Summary
The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education approved a tentative budget that relies on enrollment and health‑benefit waivers to keep the proposed tax levy at an estimated 5.2% net increase; administrators outlined roughly $900,000 in program cuts and warned of persistent health‑benefit and transportation cost pressures.
The Hopewell Valley Regional Board of Education on March 23 approved a tentative budget that administrators said balances rising costs while attempting to limit the immediate tax impact on residents.
Administrators told the board the district faces large cost drivers this year — notably health‑benefit increases, transportation and special‑education tuition — and that those pressures, combined with rising enrollment tied to local pilot housing, make it difficult to stay below New Jersey’s 2% tax‑levy cap. The district plans to rely on two state waivers — a health‑benefit waiver (about $2.1 million) and an enrollment waiver (about $1.3 million) — and on interest income from an $84 million bond issuance to temper this year’s levy increase.
"Given the volatility in health care…
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