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Public commenters urge Hardyston board to press Trenton on Highlands Act funding
Summary
Two public speakers praised staff and urged the board and local education leaders to advocate in Trenton for changes to funding formulas that they say have reduced aid to Highlands-region districts.
During public comment, resident Tony Alfano—who identified himself as a former board finance chair—commended the administrative team's work and urged school leaders to join other boards and unions in pressing state legislators in Trenton to address energy and insurance costs and restore fair funding for Highlands-affected districts.
Alfano said he hoped for a lower local increase but recognized many cost drivers are out of the district’s control and encouraged collective state advocacy. Another commenter, Lauren Donahue, said she would accept paying more in local taxes to preserve programming and emphasized that mandates such as HIB investigations impose unfunded workload on staff.
Board members thanked both speakers; no formal board action on state advocacy was taken at the meeting, though presenters referenced a prior board resolution supporting Highlands-related legislation.
