Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Cinnaminson board adopts $81.96 million budget, approves 4.04% tax levy increase
Summary
The Cinnaminson Township School District board adopted a $81,955,656 budget for the 2026–27 school year and approved a 4.04% increase in the local tax levy; the plan preserves programs, expands pre-K and funds bus replacements while absorbing a projected 22% rise in health insurance costs.
The Cinnaminson Township School District board adopted a $81,955,656 budget for the 2026–27 school year and approved a 4.04% increase in the local tax levy, district presenters said.
Miss Wilkie, who presented the numbers at the public hearing, said the total combines the general fund, special revenue and debt service and includes a projected $5,093,565 in state aid for a preschool expansion program. "The total proposed budget for the 2026–27 school year is $81,955,656," she said.
The budget funds instruction, student support services, transportation, maintenance and capital needs; the district listed major appropriations as $28.8 million for salaries and $14.2 million for employee benefits. Presenters said state aid is rising by 6.6% (about $1.2 million) under current formulas, and the average assessed home in the district would see an estimated annual tax increase of $238.98 (about $19.92 per month) under the proposed levy.
The presentation highlighted program and staffing priorities the board said the budget maintains: preserving curricular and extracurricular programs, continuing a one-to-one Chromebook replacement cycle, adding pre-K capacity (funded through separate grant dollars), and launching a new high-school special education program. The district also plans two new 54-passenger buses and one 24-passenger bus as part of its fleet replacement cycle.
Officials told the board that rising health insurance costs are a major pressure on the budget. "We are seeing a very large increase in health insurance costs," Miss Wilkie said, citing a projected 22% increase that the district estimated at roughly $2 million.
The presentation described several revenue and adjustment mechanisms: the board will use the allowable 2% tax-levy increase and about 40% of a health-care adjustment; the district is not using its banked cap (about $1.6 million), which will expire if unused. Presenters said guardrails in the state formula limited swings in aid, and Cinnaminson received the maximum 6% increase under current rules.
Following the presentation, the board moved, seconded and adopted the budget and accompanying administrative items, including a health-care adjustment of $904,531 and a maintenance reserve withdrawal of $869,500. The motion passed on the board vote taken at the meeting.
The board announced there would be no executive session. The chair noted the next board meeting is scheduled for May 12 and that the start time was adjusted to 7:30 p.m. because of a planning board conflict. A copy of the presentation will be released on the district website.
