Summit boards approve $90.5 million school budget; Board of School Estimates certifies $79.9 million levy

The Summit Board of Education approved a $90,511,845 proposed budget for the 2026–27 school year and, after a separate review, the Board of School Estimates certified a local appropriation of $79,873,363.

President Cohen opened the meeting and members of the board and BOSE discussed the proposal before votes. Board member Carlos Mahecha said the board reduced an initially proposed 5.17% levy increase to 4.93% when state aid proved larger than anticipated, describing the change as returning relief to taxpayers rather than permanently raising the tax base: "It is not free money. Every additional dollar we take comes directly out of some of the families' hard earned paychecks, and we must treat that power with discipline and respect." Mahecha emphasized the board's effort to limit increases to what is necessary and noted state law limits on levy increases.

Public commenters urged different priorities. Resident Diego Hoyt asked the boards to restore cut programs, including teacher training and bilingual education, and requested clearer breakout of transportation costs between athletics and other uses, saying the modest per‑household savings from returning some aid to taxpayers could instead fund important services. "You could have chosen to fund some important things with this money," Hoyt said during public comment.

Several board and BOSE members defended the process used to prepare the budget. Rick Hanley, chair of the operations committee, praised a more rigorous review this year that included zero‑based budgeting and multi‑year forecasts and urged the full board’s support. A BOSE member supporting the budget said the 4.93% increase restores summer school, PSAT access and special‑education extensions and estimated the average Summit homeowner would pay about $344 more in school taxes, roughly $200 of which the speaker said would go toward increased health‑care costs.

One BOSE member announced a symbolic 'no' vote, urging the unexpected state aid be used to bring back mental‑health services and bilingual programming cut last year. That member recounted a personal experience with school mental‑health counseling and said, "These could be some of the best dollars that we invest in our schools." Mayor Fagan, sitting on the BOSE, said BOSE must balance education priorities with taxpayers’ interests and expressed support for the budget process while acknowledging it represents a near‑5% increase.

The Board of Education approved the budget resolution, including specific line items read into the record: general‑fund expenditures of $89,672,896; special revenues of $838,949; authorized withdrawals from capital reserve totaling $850,000 (including $600,000 for a middle‑school generator, $150,000 for a Summit High School hot‑water heater and $100,000 for A&E fees); and a maintenance‑reserve withdrawal of $50,000 for VCT tile replacement. The BOSE later read and certified the totals under NJSA 18A:22‑7 and related regulations, fixing the local appropriation at $79,873,363.

Votes: the Board of Education's budget resolutions passed unanimously; the Board of School Estimates adopted the annual school budget on a 4–1 vote. Several members noted the difficulty of balancing program restorations with taxpayer impacts and the challenges of rising health‑care and other costs.

Next steps: the certified BOSE appropriation will be forwarded to the common council and submitted to the executive county superintendent of schools for statutory review and approval, as required by state law. The meetings adjourned after completing the agendas.