Monroe Township board adopts tentative 2026–27 budget, moves to full‑day kindergarten
Loading...
Summary
The Monroe Township Board of Education on March 25 adopted a tentative 2026–27 budget that embeds full‑day kindergarten, increases the capital reserve, and relies on a health‑benefit adjustment to the tax levy; administrators said rising health‑care costs and declining enrollment shaped the proposal.
The Monroe Township Board of Education voted on March 25 to adopt a tentative 2026–27 budget that includes implementation of full‑day kindergarten, a larger capital reserve and a health‑benefit adjustment to the local tax levy.
Superintendent Dr. Lehman, who presented the plan with Business Administrator Miss Allen, said the district embedded full‑day kindergarten in the budget without adding certificated teachers because enrollment has fallen. "We're nearly 300 students lower across the district than we were this time last year," Dr. Lehman said during the presentation, and administrators said that decline enabled staff reallocations to cover kindergarten hours.
Officials described the planned kindergarten expenditures in detail: about $46,000 for additional teacher guides and textbooks, roughly $28,000 for classroom supplies and an estimated $66,000 for non‑certificated paraprofessional staffing to provide lunch supervision and extra in‑class support. Administrators also said transportation savings from eliminating split kindergarten bus runs will roughly offset some lost ECE revenue.
The business administrator, Miss Allen, said state aid for 2026–27 totaled about $11.9 million and that the district's revenue mix remains heavily dependent on the local levy. "The local tax levy represents 85% of our total revenue," she said, adding that the district also has a certified excess surplus this year that leaders plan to use partly to build the capital reserve.
Health‑benefit premium growth was presented as the largest single budget driver. Dr. Lehman characterized benefit cost increases as "a crisis" affecting districts statewide and asked the board to consider the long‑term effect on taxpayers and programs.
Board members discussed the budget at length in defense rounds and in public comment. Residents asked for more line‑item detail and pressed administrators on ESIP (energy‑savings work), out‑of‑district special‑education placements and whether nonrecurring surplus should be used for health costs rather than capital needs.
By roll call the board adopted the tentative budget and related levy adjustments. The resolution includes a deposit to the district's capital reserve and the health‑benefit levy adjustment; the board scheduled the formal budget hearing and final adoption for April 27.
What happens next: the district will post required budget documents, hold the April 27 public hearing, and submit the tentative budget to the county office for review. The budget remains tentative until final adoption after the hearing and any adjustments.
