Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ridgefield Board approves tentative 2025–26 budget and 3.04% tax-levy adjustment to cover rising health benefits
Summary
The Ridgefield Board of Education approved its 2025–26 tentative budget and authorized a 3.04% tax-levy adjustment (about $750,262) to help cover a projected $1.2 million rise in employee health-care costs. The board also accepted a clean NJDOE federal desk monitoring audit and approved several routine consent items including a shared-services bus agreement and a teacher-assistant sidebar pay provision.
The Ridgefield Board of Education on March 13 approved the district's 2025'26 tentative budget and voted to submit a 3.04% tax-levy adjustment, equal to $750,262, to help offset an estimated $1.2 million increase in employee health benefits for the coming year.
Superintendent Anemone presented the budget materials alongside School Business Administrator Kelvin Hiciano. During the meeting Anemone told the board that "the NJDOE did not have any recommendations or Corrective Action Plan" following the district's Collaborative Federal Desk Monitoring Audit, and that the district met all 58 audited requirements.
Board member Michael Jacobs moved the motion to submit the tax-levy adjustment; Lori Hoffman seconded. The motion passed with six members voting yea (Claudia Narvaez, Lori Hoffman, Theodore Christolias, Michael Jacobs, Andrew Borek and Ralph Morilla) and one abstention by Andrew Grippa, who recused himself on the related agenda item. The tentative budget itself was approved by unanimous roll call.
Why it matters: Board officials told members the health-benefits increase is the primary driver for the requested levy adjustment; the business office cited plan-renewal and prescription-cost increases when projecting the $1.2 million rise. The board also approved routine budget transfers of $311,400.80 earlier in the consent agenda to balance current-year appropriations.
Other actions taken: The board accepted the New Jersey Department of Education's Collaborative Federal Desk Monitoring Audit report for 2024'25, which the superintendent said included no findings or corrective action. The district also approved a Special Education Medicaid Initiative (SEMI) Corrective Action Plan for FY 2026 designed to increase Medicaid claim submissions and provider participation.
The board approved a shared-services agreement with the Borough of Ridgefield allowing borough programs to use school buses owned by the district and authorized district officials to execute the contract. The board also approved multiple personnel items and a sidebar agreement with the Ridgefield Teacher Assistants Association that adds compensation for teacher assistants who hold substitute teacher certification (a $10 per class period rate or a $60 differential for covering a full school day).
Public comment and other notes: During the meeting residents and borough officials praised district-borough collaboration and raised questions about election timing and virtual participation rules. Resident Debbie Fugnitti urged the board not to move school board and school-budget elections to April from November. Business Administrator Kelvin Hiciano clarified that, under current policy, a board member may participate virtually if ill or out of state but may not participate in executive sessions while remote.
Looking ahead: The administration indicated facility work on Willis Field is tentatively scheduled to start May 12, 2025. The board adjourned at 8:23 p.m.
