Jersey Shore Area SD superintendent says district faces about $1 million deficit; board seeks line-item detail

At the April 13 meeting of the Jersey Shore Area School District Board of School Directors, Superintendent Dr. Ulmer told board members the district’s 2026–27 general fund currently reflects an approximate $1,000,000 deficit after recent adjustments to proposed budgets.

“At the current moment, you have a deficit of about $1,000,000,” Dr. Ulmer said, and he identified rising cyber-charter costs, higher health-insurance premiums and increased utility expenses as principal drivers. He told the board that he and district business staff had prepared budget documents for members and that the administration would present more detailed line-item explanations at the next meeting.

Board members pressed for clarity. Board member Mr. Broomgard questioned whether the cuts presented were permanent and whether the district had fully captured savings from prior actions such as the closure of a building. Broomgard also disputed the interim accounting numbers shown, asking whether some earlier figures had been overstated.

Other board members asked for specifics about how much the closed building reduced costs and whether staff reductions were proportional to lower enrollment. Dr. Ulmer agreed to run forward earlier presentations that itemized staff and utility savings from the closure and to produce documentation showing what the district would have spent if the school had remained open in 2026–27.

A member noted a roughly 10% increase in health-insurance costs mentioned during questioning. Administration said more granular cost-driver detail — including the effect of multi-year teacher contract costs, insurance increases and utilities — will be provided at the next board meeting for the board’s review.

The discussion ended with direction to the administration to return with line-item breakdowns and projections rather than a vote at this meeting. The budget presentation will be on the next meeting’s agenda.