Denville board urges state action on rising public school employee health-care costs

At its May meeting the Denville Township K-8 School District board unanimously adopted a resolution urging state officials to provide relief from sharply rising health-care premiums for public-school employees and to pursue long-term reform of the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP).

Mr. Anderson read the resolution into the record, citing a March 2026 midyear SHBP Treasury analysis that the resolution quotes as projecting continued double-digit premium increases for 2027. The resolution references a 31.9% premium increase that took effect in January 2026 and states that, combined, districts have faced an ‘‘overall premium increase of nearly 74% in the preceding 5 years.’’

The resolution asks the governor and Legislature to pursue immediate short-term relief and to meaningfully engage stakeholders on reforms to how benefits are delivered through the SHBP. It directs that copies be sent to state leaders including the governor, state treasurer, Senate and Assembly leadership, regional legislators and the New Jersey School Boards Association.

Vote and procedure: The resolution was moved, seconded and approved by roll call with all board members present voting yes.

Why it matters: Rising health-insurance costs directly affect district budgets and can force difficult program decisions, the resolution says. The board framed the measure as a plea for state-level action to stabilize premiums so local districts are not compelled to cut programs or exhaust local tax-cap flexibility.

What’s next: The board will forward the resolution to the state officials named in the motion; no state action was recorded at the meeting.