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Voorhees presents tentative 2026-27 budget; board to use banked cap to cover health-care rise
Summary
Board Secretary Haley presented a tentative budget showing a multimillion-dollar gap narrowed by revenue adjustments, appropriation cuts and use of banked cap tied to a 16.27% health-care increase; the proposal would raise the school portion of taxes roughly 5.34%, increasing the annual bill on an average home by about $189.42.
Board Secretary Haley presented the Voorhees Township School Districttentative budget on March 18, saying a worst-case revenue scenario first produced a $6.4 million gap that the administration has narrowed through revenue adjustments, expenditure reductions and use of banked cap for health-care costs.
Haley described the steps taken to balance the budget: increasing conservative interest revenue estimates, recognizing rental and bus-lease income, removing funded positions tied to confirmed retirements, adjusting healthcare estimates provided by insurers, reallocating allowable preschool utilities and transportation costs into PIA funding for the separate ECDC building, reducing contracted vendor use (including registered behavior technician vendors by training in-house staff), and reducing courtesy busing for non-mandated kindergarten riders to save about $500,000.
Haley said multi-year financing for technology and other capital items was restructured to smooth payments over the financing term, which reduced near-term payments and improved the district's cash-flow profile. She told the board that the district's health-care costs increased by about 16.27, representing roughly $2.19 million in additional expense; state calculations produced an approximate $1.0 million health-care adjustment (banked cap) and weighted-enrollment increase that the district intends to apply this year to avoid cuts to staff or instruction.
The combined plan -- the 2% tax levy plus the health-care adjustment drawn from banked cap -- would raise the school portion of the tax rate by roughly 5.34%. Haley said the average Voorhees home (assessed at about $455,056) would see an annual school-tax increase of approximately $189.42 under the proposal; Haley emphasized the board will submit the tentative budget to the county for review, then hold a public hearing in May before any final vote.
A board member sought clarification that the 5.34% increase applies only to the school portion of property taxes; Haley confirmed that and explained that Chapter 44 memberswhose health-care deductions are tied to salary are not impacted by the districtchanging employee contribution calculation, meaning the district bears the additional healthcare cost for most staff.
The tentative budget (agenda item 16.12) will be submitted to the county for review; the district plans a public hearing and final vote in May.
