Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Budget Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rochelle Park board advances budget work, approves $825,467.50 in bills and $76,000 capital withdrawal
Summary
Board approved payment of bills totaling $825,467.50, authorized budget steps toward the April 21 public hearing, and cleared a proposed $76,000 capital-reserve withdrawal for exterior wall repair and brick repointing.
The Rochelle Park Board of Education on March 24 approved payment of bills totaling $825,467.50 and advanced steps on the 2026–27 budget ahead of a public hearing scheduled for April 21.
Interim Superintendent Giovanni Giancaspro and Business Administrator Michele Rainere told the board the preliminary budget, approved March 16, is being finalized for county review. Rainere said staff will submit the budget to the county and present the formal budget at the April meeting.
During finance committee remarks, Board Member Joseph Marolda warned that health-insurance cost increases are pressuring budgets; he commended the business administrator for managing around those constraints and described the increases as “insane.”
As part of budget planning, the board approved a proposed $76,000 withdrawal from capital reserve for the 2026–27 budget: $70,000 for exterior wall repair/repainting and $6,000 for brick repointing. The board also accepted routine finance items including January secretary/treasurer reports, line-item transfers, and payroll authorization for February 2026.
The meeting included multiple contract and vendor renewals that affect near-term spending: a three-year IPOWER Cisco Meraki firewall and Wi‑Fi license renewal for $10,814.28, an annual elevator-service agreement at $395 per month, approval of FilteredNet (Linewize) for web filtering and student-safety platform, and a shared-transportation agreement with the South Bergen Jointure Commission for 2026–27. The board approved a Maywood busing proposal for athletic travel at $57 per hour plus a fuel fee of $65 per trip.
Board members voted to approve special-education evaluations and a tuition contract placement at Holmstead School not to exceed $29,643.12. The board also approved purchasing 25 Chromebooks at $40 each to supplement student loaner inventory.
The board will present the final budget and host a public hearing on April 21; details and documents will be posted to district channels prior to that meeting.
