High Point Regional High School Board adopts tentative $25.7M budget, approves personnel and program slate
Loading...
Summary
The board approved a tentative $25,710,339 2026–27 budget that yields a $19,146,552 tax levy, and cleared multiple consent items including personnel changes, extracurricular appointments, transportation contracts and an NJIT concurrent-enrollment agreement. The budget passed on roll call and will be submitted to the executive county superintendent.
The High Point Regional High School Board of Education on March 24 approved a tentative $25,710,339 budget for the 2026–27 school year that calls for a $19,146,552 tax levy and sets a $31,098 deposit into the district capital reserve.
Chair (speaker 1) presented the budget highlights and moved that the tentative budget be approved for submission to the executive county superintendent. The motion was seconded and passed on roll call. Board discussion noted the general fund represents a 0.8% reduction from the prior year, and administrators said the budget addresses health and safety needs, facility capital spending and student-centered programs.
The board also approved a package of routine and program items by consent. Those included: acceptance of the February 2026 board secretary and treasurer reports and transfers; payment of audited bills dated March 24, 2026; acceptance of a retirement notice for Dorothy Martin and approval of Barbara Ruppelstein as a substitute teacher for the coming year; extracurricular resignations and volunteer and paid coach appointments for 2025–26 and 2026–27; approval of a concurrent-enrollment agreement with NJIT to offer courses through multiple upcoming school years; agreements with the Sussex County Education Services Commission for ancillary services; multiple transportation contracts and a jointure with the South Bergen Jointure Commission for coordinated pupil transit; and authority to advertise the tentative budget in the New Jersey Herald and post it on the district website.
On the budget vote, the clerk recorded the roll call; the motion carried. Several board members remarked that the business office worked to limit increases amid rising healthcare costs.
The board set a budget presentation for municipal audiences on April 28, and administrators agreed to provide requested breakdowns of sending-district enrollment and tax-formula information to a municipal representative who raised that data request during public comment.
Votes at a glance: the tentative budget (item 6) was approved by roll call; consent packages for curriculum and technology items, personnel, extracurriculars, finance reports and vendor contracts were also approved on roll call. No amendments to the tentative budget were made at the March 24 meeting.
The board recessed into a second executive session later in the evening to discuss superintendent contract matters; no public action was announced at the meeting’s close.
