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Morris School District presents preliminary FY27 budget with staffing cuts to meet cap
Summary
The district flagged a roughly 225-student enrollment decline and proposed eliminating administrative, teaching and clerical positions to stay within the state's statutory cap; the preliminary budget includes capital investments (Chromebook replacement, buses) and an estimated $3.2 million turf project.
The Morris School District presented a preliminary fiscal-year 2027 budget that officials said is designed to preserve academic programs while responding to a decline of about 225 students, mainly at the 6'12 level.
Business Administrator Anthony LaFranco told the board the district needs to trim staff and operating allocations to meet the state's statutory cap. He said the draft budget proposes eliminating four administrative positions, 15 teaching positions and nine clerical/professional positions, which the administration estimated would save about $2.1 million in salaries and roughly $300,000 in benefits.
LaFranco said central-office adjustments and a 10% reduction to departmental allocations would produce further savings (about $700,000), and that the district generated additional efficiencies in overhead items such as insurance and utilities. He also reported a modest year-over-year salary increase in the plan (approximately $611,000) and said the district expects headline health-care cost pressures, calling out a 17% increase in the district's premium quote from its insurer.
The preliminary budget preserves several capital and program investments, LaFranco said: a phased replacement of Chromebooks for K'5 students using lease financing; a plan to replace five to six buses per year to sustain a fleet; a replacement dump truck and maintenance lift for building-and-ground work; and an ongoing $1 million annual maintenance allocation.
LaFranco estimated a proposed athletic turf project at Frelinghuysen at about $3.2 million and said the district anticipates needing roughly $1.2 million in additional funds for that work, with financing payments spread across several years. The presentation identified a proposed tax-levy increase of 3.5 percent that, if adopted, would raise the levy to a figure the presentation listed at about $111 million.
Board members asked about program and class-size protections while staff explained the need to reduce positions to remain within the cap. The business administrator said the budget process began with enrollment and staffing projections in October and that administrators and building leaders prioritized preserving classroom programs where possible.
Next steps: the board will submit the preliminary budget to the county and, pending county review, expects final adoption in April.
