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Board delays tentative budget presentation as state aid figures remain pending
Summary
Dr. Aderhold told the board the district cannot present a tentative budget tonight because the governor's delayed budget address pushed the state-aid release to later in the week; the district scheduled a tentative budget presentation for March 24 and flagged state guardrails and special-education aid methodology as important variables.
The West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District was told the district will not present a tentative budget at the March meeting because the state delayed release of aid figures tied to the governor's budget address. "As a result of that, the state aid numbers are not anticipated until Thursday," Dr. Aderhold said, explaining that the delay made it impossible to produce a tentative budget for tonight.
Dr. Aderhold said the district is working under statewide guardrails that limit year-to-year changes in state aid: "you could not gain more than 6% in state aid, and you could not decrease by more than 3%." He also said the method for calculating special-education extraordinary aid will continue to rely on actual counts rather than percentage of enrollment, a factor the district blamed for a loss of aid last year.
The timing matters for the district's budgeting cycle: the board scheduled a tentative budget presentation for the next board meeting on March 24, when the administration expects the state to have released its figures publicly. Dan Weiss, the town council liaison to the board, told the board the municipal council approved seven zoning ordinances last night that advance West Windsor's affordable-housing commitments for 2025–2035 and estimated about 1,800 new residences. He said the scale and location of the housing changes are a consideration for future district budgeting and planning.
The administration said finance staff and the superintendent will review the state numbers when released and present recommended budget options at the March 24 meeting. No formal budget vote was held tonight.
