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Ridgefield board urges state relief for rising public-employee health-care costs
Summary
The Ridgefield Board of Education approved a resolution calling on the governor and legislature for immediate and long-term relief to address steep increases in public-employee health-care premiums, citing a Treasury Department analysis that projects double-digit premium increases for 2027.
The Ridgefield Board of Education on May 21 approved a resolution asking Governor Mikie Sherrill and the New Jersey Legislature to provide immediate short-term relief and pursue long-term reforms to the State Health Benefits Program and the School Employees' Health Benefits Program (SEHBP). The motion passed as part of the consent agenda and was carried by the members present.
The board cited a mid-year Treasury Department SEHBP analysis that concluded, "based on these projected losses and building in future trends, active premium rate increases for 2027 are likely to be in the double digits," and noted the 31.9% premium increase that took effect in January 2026 and an overall near-74% rise over the prior five years. The resolution directs that copies be forwarded to Governor Sherrill, the state treasurer, legislative leaders and the New Jersey School Boards Association.
Board members framed the resolution as a fiscal plea: rising premiums, they said, are consuming constrained district budgets and could force program cuts that affect students and taxpayers. The action was approved under the board's consent item vote (roll call approved J1 through R1). The board did not specify immediate local policy changes tied to the resolution; rather, it urged state action and stakeholder engagement as next steps.
