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Toms River board sets April 1 citizens budget meeting as staff outlines $1 million gap and March tentative budget date
Summary
District staff told the board the tentative 2026-27 budget is due March 19, the board will present the tentative budget March 18, and the district faces roughly a $1 million one-time reduction tied to last year’s tax-levy incentive; the citizens budget advisory committee was scheduled for April 1 at 5:30 p.m.
District staff told the Toms River Regional School District board that the tentative 2026-27 budget must be filed March 19 and that the board’s March 18 meeting aligns with that deadline.
The staff presentation said key assumptions include flat state aid at this time and the loss of a one-time tax-levy incentive worth about $1 million that the district will need to fill. “We know last year we had a million dollars in tax levy incentive aid. That was a one-time aid,” staff said, adding that the situation is better than facing a much larger shortfall.
The board discussed timing for a citizens budget advisory committee meeting and set that session for April 1 at 5:30 p.m. in the Toms River High School North Media Center. The staff recommended the later date so numbers from the state and county can be incorporated where possible.
Board members pressed staff on state-aid timing and statutory levy limits. A staff member said state aid notices historically shifted later in the cycle but should arrive well in advance of the advisory meeting; the district remains subject to statutory 2% levy-change rules unless state action changes that standard.
The presentation also reviewed other finance items in the packet: rental income year-to-date totaled $449,410 (July 1, 2025–through Jan. 2026) and the board voiced support for the district’s rental program as an economic benefit to the town and district.
Next steps: staff will prepare the tentative budget for presentation in March and will publish the pupil calendar in the upcoming agenda packet; the district will hold the citizens budget advisory committee April 1 to receive public questions and feedback.
