Let’s Talk Budget💰

The 2025–2026 School Budget is $66,776,964 - which is a 4.2% increase over prior year budget of $64,212,028..  What drove this $2.56 million increase?

Two big drivers: 

(1) Rising special education expenses

(2) Increased employee benefit costs in the tune of $809K - driven by cost pressures in the public health benefits system. 

Health benefit costs eat up a third of the district’s budget and this strains the entire budget. The district administration and the Board need to seek additional funding options and find alternate benefit options without compromising benefit coverage.

Here’s how employee benefits have been rising in last 4 years: 

Employee Benefits as a percentage of salaries*

• 2022-23:  23.27%

• 2023-24: 25.90%

• 2024-25: 26.83%

• 2025-26: 30.20% (proposed)

In simpler terms, for every $100,000 in employee salary, the district now pays $30,200 in benefits. 

And here’s how this has driven cost up per student by 21% in the last 3 years:  

Per Pupil Spending:

• 2022-23:  $18,290

• 2023-24: $19,047

• 2024-25: $21,617

• 2025-26: $22,050 (proposed)

Currently, Glen Rock schools rely on three primary sources of revenue: local taxes, tuition from students who pay to attend our district, and state/federal grants.

I believe we can strengthen our financial position by thoughtfully expanding revenue opportunities. This includes exploring sponsorships and paid advertising at athletic facilities—an approach already used successfully by many neighboring districts. In addition, I would support identifying efficiencies within the budget that reduce costs without compromising the quality of education or the student experience.