Hillsborough board advances revised 2024–25 budget after hour‑long debate over tax levy and priorities

The Hillsborough Township Board of Education voted June 10 to approve a revised tentative 2024–25 budget that incorporates a one‑time state stabilization award and an option to exceed the statutory 2% tax levy cap to recoup cumulative state aid losses.

Superintendent vulpi framed the budget as a response to years of state aid reductions and said the district has a limited set of tools to stabilize services. “We were put in a situation where we had to decide whether or not to increase the tax levy on the community without a vote of the public,” the superintendent said, adding that the board now has the statutory option to exceed the cap to recover lost aid since 2021.

Mr eard, presenting financial figures, said the revised package includes increases in the general fund, a $1.2 million stabilization grant that is explicitly one‑time, withdrawals from capital and maintenance reserves for one‑time projects, and the option to add roughly $5.7 million to the permanent tax levy base to restore recurring items. He noted that the stabilization grant cannot be used to raise the baseline state aid and therefore would not recur.

Board members and the public pressed competing priorities. Several board members, including Miss Stats and Miss Lanning beer, said restoring staff positions and lowering class sizes should be a top priority after the loss of dozens of positions since 2019. “To provide what is best for our students we should increase instructional staff in areas of student need,” Miss Stats said.

Other board members and the superintendent suggested using some of the one‑time funds for capital work and preparations for full‑day kindergarten, which the administration described as a multi‑year, one‑time construction expense followed by recurring staffing costs. One board member warned full‑day kindergarten is a permanent programmatic change and said it may merit broader community input beyond surveys.

Members of the public voiced both support and concern. Amy Salinger, an Auton Road teacher, urged the board to approve the measures and called the package a chance to “repair a lot of the damages” from prior cuts. Thomas Zell, a Hillsborough resident, urged fiscal caution and asked the board not to exceed the 2% cap because of impacts on taxpayers on fixed incomes.

After discussion and committee review, the board took roll‑call votes on the operations agenda that included the revised budget and related resolutions (health benefits waiver, state aid restoration waiver and capital reserve withdrawals). The roll call recorded members’ positions and noted exceptions on particular line items, and the motions passed.

What the budget does and does not do: administration said the proposed levy increase and associated funds would be used to permanently restore positions cut since 2019 (administration estimated restoring about 16 certificated positions tied to referendum positions and retirements), restore extracurriculars and middle‑school sports eliminated in April, add targeted safety and registrar positions at the high school, and set aside one‑time capital money to modify classrooms for full‑day kindergarten. Administration cautioned that the one‑time $1.2 million stabilization grant should be treated carefully because it will not recur.

Next steps: the board approved the revised tentative budget tonight and will submit it to the County Superintendent; the district will publish the revised advertised budget in advance of the public hearing scheduled for July 15, 2024. Any future spending of specific capital or staffing items will require separate board votes and, where applicable, county approval.

—Reporting by the board meeting record. The board meeting record shows the administration’s proposed plan and the exact roll‑call outcomes; decisions about specific hires, capital contracts, or program starts will return to the board for discrete approvals.