Bordentown superintendent says district must wait for state aid before finalizing 2026–27 budget

Dr. Altobello, the district superintendent, told the board that the State of New Jersey has not yet released school‑aid figures and the district cannot make final budget decisions until those numbers arrive. He said the governor is statutorily required to deliver a budget address on the last Tuesday of February and that an extension has likely been requested, which would push the address and school‑aid releases into March.

"The state of New Jersey has not yet released any school aid figures," Dr. Altobello said, noting that if an extension is granted the governor’s budget address may not arrive prior to March 10 and school aid is statutorily required to be released to districts within 48 hours of that address. "Until those figures are received ... no district, including ours, has any confirmed funding information."

He urged the community to avoid circulating or relying on speculative budget figures and pledged that the district will develop a tentative budget and present it in a public meeting after aid figures are released. Dr. Altobello also said the district plans multiple public budget‑workshop sessions in different locations to explain the budget, answer questions and gather feedback before final decisions are made.

Chair S2 echoed the superintendent’s advice, telling residents that budget items and the superintendent’s timeline will remain standing agenda items and that anyone with questions should seek information from official district channels. The board emphasized that community input will be invited during the tentative‑budget presentation and the meet‑and‑greet sessions.

Next steps: the board will await the state’s budget address and the statutory 48‑hour school‑aid release window, develop a tentative district budget once aid figures are available, and schedule public workshops to review the proposal with residents.