North Brunswick Township Board of Education adopts tentative $169 million 2025–26 budget, recommends 2% tax levy increase

On March 12, the North Brunswick Township Board of Education approved a tentative operating budget for the 2025–26 school year totaling roughly $169 million and authorized submission of that preliminary budget to county and state education officials for review.

The vote followed a detailed presentation by Superintendent Argus Choroca, who thanked the community for turnout on a $67,000,000 bond referendum the previous day and then reviewed operating revenue and cost pressures. “We would like to thank our community for everything they did to help us pass our $67,000,000 bond referendum yesterday,” Choroca said, adding that the referendum results must be certified later in the month.

Choroca told the board the district faces a 3 percent reduction in state aid — about $1.7 million — and other headwinds including a roughly 12 percent increase in health-benefit costs, a 25 percent anticipated cut in some Title program funding, and large increases in special-education tuition and ancillary services. He also said SEMI reimbursements the district had received previously fell from roughly $261,000 to a budgeted $44,000 for FY26.

To balance the operating budget, Choroca outlined revenue and appropriation figures: a general fund of $149,727,235; grants and entitlements of about $10,625,500; and a debt-service/local levy component of $8,694,573 — together yielding a total budget in the neighborhood of $169 million. Salaries and benefits make up the largest share of spending at 71.6 percent. Charter-school tuition accounted for roughly 5.6 percent of the budget, about $8 million.

Choroca recommended the district take the allowable 2 percent tax-levy increase under state law and noted a health-benefits waiver could permit an additional 1.57 percent; after offsets tied to falling debt service, he said the net, visible homeowner impact would be closer to 2.5 percent — about $137 a year for an average assessed home (approximately $11.48 per month).

The superintendent described measures the district has used to restrain costs, including participation in state purchasing co-ops, shared services for transportation with charter schools, careful use of capital and maintenance reserves, and holding some allocations in reserve rather than fully budgeting them in advance. He also said the district will expand a K–2 ELA benchmark program and adopt a recommended math curriculum; it plans to use maintenance reserves for projects such as the high-school auditorium sound system and exterior repairs.

During board questions, members pressed on enrollment projections and charter impact. Choroca said about 500 students attend charter schools (a stable figure) and roughly 430 students are enrolled in prekindergarten; he reviewed recent enrollment trends dating to the 2019 high of about 6,288 students.

Beth Hasner, president of the North Brunswick Township Education Association, spoke during the public comment period and thanked voters and staff for supporting the referendum and the budget approach. “We appreciate your efforts with a loss of state aid across the state,” Hasner said, praising the district’s efforts to preserve staff and instructional integrity.

After the public portion closed, the board moved to adopt the tentative 2025–26 budget. The motion passed on a roll-call vote: Mister Carter, Alicia James, Miss Keith, Mister Ligore, Mister Singh, Miss Toth and Mister Webb voted yes (7–0). The board will submit the preliminary budget to the county and New Jersey Department of Education for review and may adjust the final budget as retirements, contract settlements, grant changes or other variables emerge.

The board adjourned after closing the meeting’s public session.