Staff Cuts, Tax Hike Possible In West Orange School Budget

WEST ORANGE, NJ — West Orange homeowners may be in for another year of school tax increases and staffing cuts in classrooms.

Superintendent Hayden Moore gave a preliminary budget presentation at the West Orange Board of Education meeting on Monday.

Moore said there are two budget challenges that the district has to contend with: a big drop in state aid, and rising operational costs.

The West Orange Public School District is in line to get $32,578,262 in state aid for the 2025-2026 academic year. That would be a 3 percent decrease from last year’s $33,585,837.

• See Related: How Much State Aid For West Orange Schools? NJ Releases New Totals
• See Related: 9 Essex County Districts Will Get NJ Aid For Preschool (See The List)

Meanwhile, annual increases in major operational costs exceed the 2 percent tax levy cap, Moore said. Rising expenses include salaries (3 to 4 percent), health benefits (10 percent), special education tuition/out of district placements (6 percent), district insurance (11 percent), and transportation (3.57 percent).

According to Moore, there are two options on the table: a zero percent tax levy and a 2.3 percent tax levy.

With the zero percent levy, the district would face a gap of about $11 million. Between 110 and 120 full-time positions would be on the chopping block, and there would be cuts to co-curricular activities such as athletics, band and drama.

With the 2.3 percent levy, the district would face a gap of about $8 million. Between 80 and 90 full-time positions would still face elimination, but the district will be able to retain more co-curricular activities.

If the district moves forward with the 2.3 percent levy, it would mean a $242 yearly tax increase for a homeowner with a property valued at $615,472.

Moore pointed out that the average assessed value of a home in West Orange has nearly doubled since last year’s town-wide tax revaluation.

• See Related: 'Scary Numbers' For Some West Orange Homeowners Amid Tax Revaluation
• See Related: Here's How Much West Orange Homeowners Pay In Taxes

There isn’t a clear picture of what cuts would need to be made yet, but administrators are working on figuring out what kinds of “unfortunate occurrences” would be needed to hit the target, Moore said.

A public hearing for the adoption of the final budget is scheduled for May 5, with future discussions on the spending plan expected before then, Moore said.

If it crosses the finish line as proposed, the budget would be the second in a row that comes with both a tax increase and staff cuts. Read More: West Orange School Budget: Tax Hike, Teacher Cuts Approved

Board president Brian Rock also spoke about the district’s preliminary spending plan at this week’s meeting, pointing to the loss in local aid that would take place under Gov. Phil Murphy’s proposed state budget.

Rock said that as home valuations go up, it tweaks the state’s calculation of the town’s “fair share” – what officials think that West Orange should be able to raise in property taxes.

“I know the budget presentation can be a little bit shocking, can be a little hard to absorb, but at the end of the day we’re facing constraints that are put on us by the larger economy and trying to make the best of what we can,” Rock said.

In the long run, there’s only one way to solve the district’s budget crisis, he opined – get “adequate” funding from the state.

Watch footage from the March 17 meeting below (video is cued to the superintendent’s presentation).

PUBLIC COMMENT

The district launched an online survey in the wake of this week’s budget presentation. West Orange residents who want to give feedback can do so here.

Several residents spoke about the proposed budget during the public comment portion of Monday’s meeting. Watch footage below (video is cued to public comment).

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