State district superintendent approves $476.9 million Camden City School District 2027 budget as cuts proceed

The state district superintendent approved the Camden City School District’s 2026–2027 budget, a package the district says totals $476,917,733 and includes staffing reductions and central-office restructuring aimed at aligning staff with declining enrollment. BA McDonald told the advisory board that the district submitted a balanced budget to the New Jersey Department of Education and that DOE approved it after review.

The budget documents presented at the May 5 public hearing show a general fund of $427,892,155. BA McDonald said roughly 55% of that general fund—about $235 million—goes to tuition payments for charter and renaissance schools, leaving about 45% under direct district control. "The 2027 school district budget submitted to and approved by the New Jersey Department of Education totals $476,917,733," BA McDonald stated during the presentation.

The district attributes much of the fiscal pressure to a long-term enrollment decline: presenters said total K–12 enrollment dropped from 11,660 in 2014 to a projected 5,515 for 2027, a decline the district says shifts more of its per-student funding outside district-operated schools. District materials break general-fund appropriations into program categories—regular instruction (~24.8%), special education (~15.2%), benefits (~21%), operations and maintenance (~13%), and transportation (~11%).

Officials described the personnel impact in two parts. The district identified approximately 95 full-time-equivalent reductions in the 2026–2027 budget, noting that 80–82% of those were vacancies removed from staffing rosters. Nineteen staff members received reduction-in-force notices, of whom five were reassigned to previously tenured teaching positions, the district said. The presentation on central-office changes said 75 central-office positions are affected; 26 employees could be reassigned to new positions while 49 do not have prior positions to fall back into.

District leaders also outlined a capital and technology plan in the budget. The proposed capital budget totals $1,667,000 with technology investments including $50,000 for HVAC network closets, approximately $392,000 for wireless access points, and $750,000 for a hyperconverged infrastructure intended to support phones, data storage, security and the student information system (Genesis).

On local revenue, the district submitted a tax levy of about $17.7 million and reported an agreed reduction of $528,400 with the city, lowering the levy to $17,171,600. Presenters said DOE has been advised of the planned revision and the district must certify the levy by mid-May.

After a public-comment period that included dozens of speakers urging changes or questioning priorities, the advisory board entered a closed executive session on personnel. Upon return, the state district superintendent announced approval of the board agenda, including personnel actions and adoption of the revised 2027 budget, saying, "I hereby approve the board agenda items." The board then moved to adjourn.

The next procedural step noted in the presentation is completion of job descriptions and public posting of positions by June 1, with the district aiming for a July 1, 2026 start for the new organizational structure. The approval recorded at the May 5 meeting adopts the budget as approved by DOE but revised for the reduced tax levy and miscellaneous revenue as described by district staff.

What happens next: the district will post the newly defined positions, conduct hiring interviews, and implement the central-office structure; affected staff were encouraged to apply for open positions. The presentation materials say the district will provide supports and pathways for affected educators to secure placements in high-need areas.