Last week the Marlboro School Board unanimously approved a budget of $65,591,761 for the 2024-25 school year. This is an increase of $1,618,369 from the current school year’s budget. Board member James Kuha was absent for the vote.

The public will have the chance to vote on the school budget on Tuesday, May 21 from 6 a.m. until 9 p.m.

Superintendent Michael Rydell highlighted three areas that are driving the increases in next year’s budget: Salaries are up by $687,437; the Debt is at $140,697 and Benefits have spiked by $827,707 for a total of $1,655,841, nearly the same as the increase in the 2024-25 budget.

Rydell noted that the tax levy of 1.99% bring in revenues to the district of $33,776,652. He added that the Board of Education opted to keep the tax levy lower at 1.99% and to tap $3,346,556 from the Fund Balance, both in order to lessen the financial impact to the taxpayers.

Rydell said the state did include Save Harmless in their calculations to Marlboro that will result in the district receiving $17,004,229 in Foundation Aid. He noted that the state also included a 2.8% inflation factor, “which is right in line of where we were predicting. It wasn’t a surprise at all; it was more of a relief that we finally had a state budget that we could put out to our communities to allow them to make an educated decision, come the [school] budget vote, to decide to support to not support.”

Rydell said the inflation factor will help the district keep pace with what is happening in the economy during 2024-25 school year.

“That’s the theory, but what you had in fact in the Executive [Governor’s] Budget was a decrease in Foundation Aid for school districts and this [2.8% inflation factor] will make it so that you’re at zero, which is an attempt to accommodate for any inflation that’s naturally occurring in the economy,” he said.

Rydell said, “the fiscal responsibility that has been demonstrated by this Board of Education over many years has contributed to the fact that although there is not an increase in the revenue side from the aid lines, we are able to preserve all programs and staffing at this time.”

Rydell said the Administration and the Board of Education must be mindful of the future.

“You have to make sure you’re protecting the district long term and this Board of Education has done just that; we’re expected to put out a budget and budget plans while being strategic with staffing and all of our expenses, to make sure we’re maximizing revenues while being mindful of where we may be in five or ten years and beyond,” he said.