Board Vote On Wayne Schools Budget, Tax Levy Increase Set For Thursday

WAYNE, NJ — The Wayne Township Schools Board of Education meets on Thursday to approve next year's budget after what officials called a "concerning" and tight planning cycle.

Residents can comment on the $190.8 million spending plan at a public hearing which is scheduled during Thursday's meeting. The proposed budget includes a 2.48 percent property tax increase, and officials said the estimated impact for a home assessed at the average value would be $204 per year.

The board will meet in executive session at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday before the regular meeting begins at 7 p.m. It will be held in the council chambers at the Wayne Township Municipal Building.

Board officials said they did not have much "wiggle room" in drafting next year's budget, and mentioned that cuts to programs are possible, to make ends meet. For example, renovations to the next-generation science labs at both high schools would be put on pause while the district re-directs those funds to more pressing needs.

School officials said they needed to account for increasing staff salaries and benefits for the 2024/25 fiscal year budget, as well as support for special education students and related student transportation costs.

View the preliminary district budget presentation here.

Voters shut down a referendum in March that would have helped fund 63 projects across all 15 buildings.

School Business Administrator William Moffitt said the district is looking at a new, smaller referendum asking to issue $100 million in bonds; this would represent a property tax increase of $217 a year for a property assessed at Wayne's average ($230,435, a slight increase).

A large chunk of the new referendum (44.8M) could be allocated to expanding the Preakness Early Childhood Center, according to a presentation on April 4.

Other improvements that may be funded by a new referendum include new security vestibules at the elementary schools, replacing the bleachers at Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills High Schools, and various HVAC upgrades and partial roof replacements.

The timeline for a new referendum could take 12-13 months.