Public Hearing On Brick School Budget Rescheduled

BRICK, NJ — The Brick Township Board of Education has rescheduled its hearing on the 2025-26 school budget, the district announced.

The hearing is set to be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6 at the district's Professional Development Center, 101 Hendrickson Blvd., at the Veterans Memorial schools' complex. The meeting set for April 28 has been canceled.

The district introduced its tentative $166 million budget on March 20, but Superintendent Thomas Farrell at the time said the process was still very fluid, as the district was awaiting guidance on possible changes to state aid or other revenue.

Officials also were awaiting additional information on the projected increases in the cost of health benefits, the cost of which has been rising everywhere.

Earlier in April, the board approved submitting an application to the Department of Education to participate in the new Tax Levy Incentive Aid program, part of the state's proposed fiscal year 2026 budget.

The requirements to qualify are that the district is under adequacy — meaning they are not spending what the state says they should be to provide a thorough and efficient education as mandated by the New Jersey Constitution — and its property tax levy is below the local fair share.

The Brick Township schools meet both of these criteria. The $166 million tentative budget is $28 million below adequacy, and its property tax levy is $40 million below its local fair share, according to the state Department of Education.

Districts can get additional state aid if they increase their property tax levy by more than 2 percent, based on the amount above the cap they increase the levy, with a limit of the amount they are under adequacy.