West Orange board hears $14–15M budget shortfall, approves submission of preliminary 2026–27 budget

The West Orange Board of Education on Thursday was presented with a preliminary 2026–27 budget that projects roughly $206 million in revenues against $220 million in expenditures, creating a structural shortfall the district estimates at about $14–15 million.

Superintendent Hayden Moore and business administrator Tanya Flowers said the gap stems from legally mandated and market-driven increases in salaries, health care and special-education tuition. Flowers said the district serves more than 7,100 students and that even with a recommended 2.5% tax-levy increase the district would still face a significant deficit. "We are mathematically in the red before the school year even begins," Flowers said in the presentation.

The district presented detailed cost drivers: salaries and benefits account for about half of the budget (combined salaries and benefits are nearly 70% of total costs on the district slides), health-insurance costs are projected to rise by about 17.8%, special-education tuition by about 6%, and transportation costs are rising (Flowers cited a CPI-based increase of roughly 3.58%). Flowers reported a general-fund total of $206,821,351 in the recommended preliminary budget and said using the allowable health-care adjustment and banked cap the recommended levy would be 2.5%, translating for an average assessed home to an estimated annual increase of roughly $294 (about $24.50 per month).

Moore said the administration has identified program and staffing reductions as unavoidable unless state funding changes. "We face some unprecedented challenges," Moore told the board, and he said the district is considering a minimum elimination of about 70 full-time positions, consolidations, increases in class size and other measures to close the gap while attempting to preserve equity. He added that the district is not pursuing subscription or pay-to-play busing at this time for equity reasons and that some outsourcing of services is being evaluated only as a last resort.

Public commenters — including teachers, union leaders and parent advocates — urged the board to prioritize savings outside the classroom and to provide more granular public detail on which programs and positions are under consideration. Josh Goldfarb, president of the West Orange Education Association, urged the board to "look outside the classroom for cost savings" and reminded the board that one in five district employees lives in town. Teachers at the meeting cited potential class sizes of 25–30 students and warned of ripple effects on advanced and elective courses if sections are eliminated.

Speakers from local parent groups called for a community budget advisory committee and long-term structural options such as bringing more special-education services back in-district and shared-service agreements with neighboring districts. One commenter noted a statutory option to adjust the tax levy for health-care cost increases (citing the provision found in New Jersey school finance statutes) and urged the board to consider all permissible levy adjustments, while other board members expressed reluctance to seek levy increases beyond the 2.5% level presented.

During board discussion, members pressed administration on reserves usage and the extent to which the health-care adjustment had already been baked into the recommended levy. Flowers said the budget includes a health-care adjustment of about $1,597,000 that allows the tax levy recommendation to reach 2.5% and noted the district would also use about $4 million of previously budgeted fund balance in the near term. Board members cautioned that drawing from reserves reduces the district’s safety net for future unexpected costs.

The board moved forward with routine agenda votes at the meeting. The body approved the second reading and adoption of Policy 2460 (special education) and approved consent resolutions covering personnel items A1–A5, curriculum items B1–B4, finance/business-office items (B1–B15) and reports D1–D2; roll-call votes recorded in the transcript show board members voting in the affirmative for those routine items. The finance approvals include submitting the preliminary budget to the county for its review and possible approval before the district advertises the budget and holds a public hearing on May 4 at 6:30 p.m.

Superintendent Moore said the district will continue workshops and outreach while performing the more granular staffing and program analyses that precede any final personnel actions. He reiterated that preliminary figures are subject to change as vetting and legal review continue.

The board concluded the meeting after additional public petitions and remarks from teachers and parents. The next board meeting was announced for 5:30 p.m. on April 20, 2026, in the West Orange High School Library Media Center.