WEBVTT

METADATA
Video-Count: 1
Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=bSf77E6w-Hc

NOTE
MEETING SECTIONS:

Part 1 (Video ID: bSf77E6w-Hc):
- 00:00:33: Meeting Opening: Budget Presentation and Statement of Compliance
- 00:04:14: Public Hearing Purpose and Financial Oversight Explanation
- 00:05:47: Revised Budget Overview and Adjustments Summary
- 00:09:50: Mission, Vision, Values, and Board of Education Role
- 00:15:13: Budget Breakdown: Taxes, Students, and Advocating Funding
- 00:16:37: Hoboken School District Services and Unique Programs
- 00:21:20: History of Tax Levy Caps and Resulting Budget Constraints
- 00:25:27: Bank Cap Explanation and State Aid Funding Discussion
- 00:31:43: State Aid Increase and Pilot Agreements Impact on Funding
- 00:34:55: Enrollment Growth Impacting Aging Facilities and Staffing
- 00:36:37: Explanation of Facilities Budget and Performance Results
- 00:40:51: English Language Arts and Math Achievement Data Review
- 00:44:40: Budget Drivers: Salary, Benefits, and Charter Funding
- 00:47:19: District Revenue Sources, Appropriations Breakdown, and Fund Balance
- 01:02:23: School Choice Program, Taxpayer Impact, and Education's Purpose
- 01:04:26: Community Engagement, Budget Vote, and Thank You
- 01:06:34: Public Comments Guidelines and Rules Announcement
- 01:08:28: Public Comment: Paul Presenzano - Taxpayer Concerns, Pilot Impact
- 01:14:19: Public Comment: Michael Russo - Tax Increase, Healthcare Costs
- 01:19:04: Public Comment: Barry Gman - Budget Realities, Dig Deeper
- 01:20:12: Public Comment: Manuel Rivera - Special Education, Facilities
- 01:23:50: Public Comment: Manuel Rivera - Dialogue, Teacher Appreciation
- 01:26:14: Meeting Adjournment


Part: 1

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Good evening everyone. We're going to get started. Welcome to this special May 2026 Hoboken Board of Education meeting centered on the presentation of the budget for the 2026 20227 school year. Thank you all for being here. If you are joining us this evening to speak on

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agenda or non-aggenda items, please use the signup sheets that are located directly in front of me. Miss Lopez, can you please read the statement of compliance? Yes. Thank you. This meeting of the Hoboken Board of Education is being held in accordance with the New Jersey Open Public Meetings

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Act NJSA 10:4-6 ETSSE. Proper publish proper notice of this meeting was provided in accordance with the law and was published through the designated official newspapers on April 18th, 2026 and April 28th, 2026.

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If any board member or member of the public believes that this meeting is not in compliance with the open public meetings act, the board requests that such concern be raised at this time. Please be advised that this meeting is being recording recorded and will be made available to the public through

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board docs which can be accessed from the district homepage and on the district's YouTube channel. The board of education is committed to maintaining an orderly and respectful public meeting. We ask that all attendees please silence their electronic devices. If you need to use your device for a call or other

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personal matter, we kindly request that you step outside of the meeting room. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Lopez. Please rise for the pledge of >> allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

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republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Miss Lopez, can you please call the role? Yes. >> Miss Angley here. Miss Kadamatori here, Miss Delara here,

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>> Mr. Graa here, >> Miss Connor here, Mr. Kel >> here, Miss Norwood here, Miss Fez >> here, and Miss Mccer >> here. >> Thank you, Miss Lopez. So, before we start with the presentation, I just wanted to take a minute to thank

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everyone who's worked so diligently on this budget, both from the time it was introduced um with our first number back in March through tonight. you will see there are some cuts and I'm very excited for everyone to get an opportunity to

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see all the amazing things that are being accomplished in the world of public education here in Hoboken, New Jersey. There is so much to be proud of. Um I think sometimes when people's tax bills come in the mail, they think, gosh, none of this benefits me. But I'd like to take a moment and let us all

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reflect that the reason that we live in the United States of America. And the reason that we choose to live here and pay taxes, part of that is to live in a a well-educated society and to live in a society where people can engage civically, where they can understand what's happening in the world around

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them and they can contribute. And public education is the driver for that. It is so incredibly important that we invest in our schools and in our children. and that is every single child in the city of Hoboken whether they live in the first ward or the sixth ward or the second ward or the third ward. So I'll just call out all the ward council

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people who walked in. Um it's in incredibly important and that's what this budget this evening achieves. So without further ado, we're going to get started. Good evening everyone. Um I will be beginning the presentation. For those of you who may not have been here before,

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my name is Victoria Lopez. I'm the business administrator for the district. Um the first thing that we want to talk to you about is the purpose of the public hearing. So as we begin this presentation, I'd like to take a moment to explain the purpose of tonight's

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public hearing. This hearing represents one of the final steps in a budget process that has taken over several months. The plan we are presenting reflects that work and is the budget the district will be asked to adopt at its regular meeting being held on Tuesday,

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May 12th. This evening provides an opportunity for the public to review the proposed budget and offer comment before that action is taken. All feedback shared tonight becomes part of the public record and helps inform the board's ongoing decision-making.

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It is also important to understand that this hearing is part of a broader system for oversight. The district operates under strict financial controls including state regulations, internal safeguards, and annual independent audits to ensure that public funds are

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used appropriately and responsibly. But just as importantly, the public is part of that system. not only as parents, relatives, and even in some cases staff members, but also as taxpayers and stakeholders in the district. This

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process is designed to provide transparency, accountability, and an opportunity for the community to engage with and understand how public resources are being allocated. Turning now to what is being approved today.

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The budget we are presenting this evening is a revised and refined version of the tentative budget that was introduced in March. Since that time, we've taken a closer look at our assumptions, updated our figures, and made adjustments that we'll walk through in more detail later in the

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presentation. At its core, this budget is the district's complete financial plan for the 2026 2027 school year. It outlines not just how much we plan to spend, but how those funds are allocated across all

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areas of the district. This includes instructional programs, staffing, and services for our students, as well as extracurricular activities, transportation, facilities maintenance, and required costs like charter school tuition and employee benefits.

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A significant portion of the budget is driven by costs that are either mandated by the state or contractually required such as special education services, employee benefits, and charter school tuition. While other portions reflect local decisions about programs and

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staffing levels. It also includes the local tax levy, which represents the community share of funding for the school district. It is important to note that not all programs are funded through the local tax levy. For example, our preschool program is

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largely supported through the state preschool education aid with only approximately $540,000 being contributed by the district. So really, what's being presented tonight is a comprehensive plan that supports the day-to-day operations of the

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district and the educational experience of our students for the entire upcoming school year beginning on July 1st, 2026. And before we move forward, I'm going to give a summary of the adjustments that

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were made from the tentatively approved budget to the budget that we will be presenting tonight. Many of these changes will be discussed in greater detail later in the presentation. The local tax levy has um been reduced

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by $2,526 uh $2,526,441. Um we have increased our allocation for pilot payments to the school district by $20,000 to an anticipated $200,000. Um reductions were made for school

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sponsored athletics instruction. That was for a reduction in the athletic study hall program. Um a reduction of $60,282 was made for attendance in social work programming related to our um student

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information system. We made a reduction in um our allocation for legal settlements of $500,000, a reduction of $195,593 um in community and staff engagement and

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superintendent office supplies and material allocation. A reduction of $21,200 um my apologies. That is for the superintendent's office. >> Sorry, I'm serious. Um and there was an

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increase of $385,999 for facilities maintenance custodial allocations to address aging facilities. A reduction of $143,886. Um reduction of health benefits districtwide. a reduction in

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school-based budgets based on cuts um in those individual budgets of $1,964,000. A increase in our anticipated title one funds of approximately $35,600. A reduction in staffing costs of $848,698.

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reduction in theater and extracurricular accounts of $81,167. A reduction in athletics accounts of $39,968. A reduction um in staffing accounts of 63,190

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and then again in another staff account of $51,810. Reduction in anticipated testing fees of $35,000. a reduction um for curriculum platforms of 158,751,

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reduction in staff training allocation of 15,364 and a reduction of health benefit costs due to staffing reductions of $634,622. I thank you for bearing with me as I

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made my way through that. >> Thank you, Miss Lopez. We're now going to talk about the lens through which we ask you to look at this budget presentation this evening. The Hoboken Public School District is committed to meeting the needs of each and every

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learner. So today you'll learn a little bit more about who we are by giving you an overview of the Hoboken Public School District. You will learn about the children the Hoboken Public School District serves by learning a little bit more about our demographic profile and the unique characteristics of our

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student body. We'll then spend some time talking about the key budget drivers both overall and the ones that are driving the increase that's represented in this budget. We'll then shift gears and we'll talk about the ethical obligation to provide quality education for all children.

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We'll talk about how now is the time to continue to support our public schools so that the progress can continue. We'll talk about where your tax dollars are needed and where they go and what they fund. and we'll also talk about how you can help our district continue to grow,

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thrive, and succeed. Um, the basis for everything that we're considering today is our vision and our mission statements, which were updated this year as part of a comprehensive strategic planning process. At every level and in every school, our operations are driven by a shared

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mission, which is to inspire and empower young people to be productive citizens of the future. And with our offerings, we aspire to fulfill our vision, which is to become a model school district where every student is valued, included, and prepared with the knowledge, skills,

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and character to shape the future with confidence and purpose. These statements which are the what and the why of our school district are driven by certain core values and beliefs. Innovation, community engagement, a safe and supportive environment, inclusion,

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equity, and access. And it means that we strive to provide quality learning to every student and equip them with critical thinking skills, real world readiness, independence, adaptability, and an appreciation for our community. So, here are just some of many examples

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of how these values translate into our school's operations. Students in every grade from K to 12 are eligible to participate in the district musical. Students with special needs are provided with the opportunity to participate in sports through the unified sports program. Students who qualify for free

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and reduced lunch have access to nutritious food over the weekends through our weekend backpack program. Students aged 18 to 21 with special needs have the opportunity to develop real world skills in our transition program. Students who are ready can enroll in pre-AP classes as early as

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middle school. Students of all ages are introduced to concepts of financial literary literacy culminating in access to the financial literacy lab in high school. This is who we are and it's what we aspire to continue to be and it's what's reflected in our budget which aligns with our mission and our vision

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holistically. As an oversight body, the role and obligation of a board of education regarding the district's budget is to set budget parameters and priorities for budget development process in accordance with policy. Understand proposed budget

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implications, programs, and changes. Reach consensus on a budget appropriate for students and taxpayers that support student achievement. Four, assist in explaining the budget to the general public in accordance with policy and indicate how it supports

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student achievement. And five, evaluate on an ongoing basis the implementation of the budget. Noting our responsibilities, we present to you tonight a final budget proposal that reflects cuts from the tenative budget proposal passed by the board on March

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23rd. This proposed total general operating budget totals 2,341,594 to educate the students of the district in grades kindergarten through 12th grade inclusive of certain preschool students in the disabled program or in

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inclusion settings with IEPs which totals approximately 2900 students and including those Hoboken residents attending charter schools which is approximately 866 students collectively approximately ly 3,760

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students. Please note the preschool budget for our approximately 900 preschoolers is a separate distinct and restricted budget as a matter of state law and funding. I want to draw your attention to the fact that out of the

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total budget over 89% of the funding comes from the local property taxes. As will be discussed later in more detail, the district only receives 11,235 from other sources, which consists primarily of state aid, federal grants,

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and fees. We continue to advocate with state legislators to address the school funding crisis in the state, and encourage you, the taxpayers, to do so. As well, as you know, your property bill has three your property tax bill has three components.

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school taxes, city taxes, and county taxes. This budget reflects an increase in the school tax of $17,450,629, which represents a 23.6% increase on that 1/3 school tax portion

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of your local property taxes. For perspective, based on a home with an average assessed value, not market value, of 532,600, this breaks down to an additional $71459

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per year or $1.96 per day. The Hoboken Public School District serves as a comprehensive preK through 12 educational community dedicated to excellence, opportunity, and the success of every learner. Our district provides

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educational services to three and four-year-old children across nine preschool locations, kindergarten through grade 5 students in three elementary schools, grades 6 through 8 students in one middle school, and grades 9 through 12 students at Hoboken

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High School. This general fund budget includes only revenues and appropriations for our K to2 program. We are a vibrant, diverse, and growing school community defined by students who are creative, motivated, and engaged in their learning. The district offers a

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wide range of unique and enriching programs that extend beyond the classroom, providing students with opportunities to explore the world, engage with different cultures, and participate in national and international competitions. Our students consistently achieve success, earning

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championships and recognition both locally and beyond. Recognizing that every learner has unique strengths and needs, the Hoboken Public School District is deeply committed to providing a broad continuum of programs and services that are designed to support all students. Our ac

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academic programs include the John's Hopkins gifted and talented program, a robust response to intervention framework and comprehensive supports for English language learners. We are also entering our fourth year of the dual language Spanish immersion program which

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continues to expand opportunities for bilingualism and global readiness. We operate financial literacy, aviation, hydroponics and aquaponics, career readiness, and innovation technology labs that are located in Hoboken High

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School, but are accessible to our K through8 student body. At the secondary level, students have access to rigorous academic pathways, including pre-advanced placement courses, advanced placement courses, as well as collegiate dual enrollment opportunities that allow

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them to earn collegiate credit while still in high school. Next year, our students will have the opportunity to select from 30 different collegiate courses and enroll during the actual school day. Courses will be offered through University of Pennsylvania, Cornell, Georgetown, Duke

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University, Notre Dame, NYU, Wesleyan, Dartmouth, and Howard University. The district provides extensive services for students with special needs, including in-class support, pullout resource programs, self-contained classrooms, preschool disabilities programs, and

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transition and life skills instruction. Our dedicated team of professionals including reading specialists, child study team members, board certified behavior analysts, a job coach, they all work collaboratively together to ensure that every student receives the

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individualized support that they need to succeed. The district proudly educates those students in need of extended care through the age of 21. Our district manages the individual service plans known as ISPs for all private school students as well. and take on financial

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responsibility for all outofd district placements regardless if students are enrolled in the district or in charter schools. In addition to academic supports, the district prioritizes student well-being through a comprehensive network of services. Every school is supported by

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full-time nurse, school counselors, youth development specialists, mental health clinicians, and student assistance counselors, ensuring that students are supported both academically and emotionally. Beyond the classroom, the Hoboken Public School District is

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com committed to developing the whole child. Our students benefit from a wide array of co-curricular and extracurricular opportunities that foster creativity, collaboration, and leadership. From strings, theater, band, and chorus to a wide range of clubs and

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activities, students are encouraged to explore their passions and their talents. On the athletic fields, our students excel in a variety of NJSIA sports, demonstrating teamwork, discipline, and school pride. The theater, music, and fine arts programs across the district also boast many

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accomplishments. These opportunities, programs, and supports are made possible through intentional investment in our schools. Continued investment ensures that we can sustain and expand the experiences that define a hopen public education.

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Together as a community, we have the opportunity to build upon this strong foundation and create even greater opportunities and possibilities for our students, our schools, and the future of the city of Hoboken. Mayor,

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>> thank you, Dr. Johnson. Uh, as as the board elder, I'm going to take the opportunity to talk a little bit about history. Uh and this is particularly the history of the 2% tax levy cap. Uh like most states, New Jersey schools are funded primarily through a combination

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of local property taxes and state funding and to a lesser extent uh federal funding. However, in 1981, the New Jersey Supreme Court determined that less affluent districts in New Jersey, those with lower property values were at a severe

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disadvantage. those poorer, primarily urban districts couldn't fund their school districts on a par with their more affluent uh neighboring communities. This resulted in the designation of 28 ABID districts that would receive

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supplemental state funding to create educational equity. Hoboken was one of those AVID districts which are now called SDA or school development authority districts. An additional positive was that those Abbott districts and only the Abbott

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districts received state funding to provide free prek and all day kindergarten for its families. As a result, back then in the 80s and 90s and into the early uh 2000s, the state was providing about 1th3 of

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Hoboken's annual school operating budget. Then in 2007, in order to slow growth of New Jersey property taxes, Governor Cororsine initiated a 4% property tax levy on counties, municipalities, and

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school districts. Then in 2011, Governor Christie introduced a toolkit of reforms which included lowering the tax levy cap even further to 2%. That 2% cap remains today, although

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there are waiverss which allow school districts to exceed the cap for things like student enrollment increases and increases in health care costs. Those caps were presented as a way to control property taxes and to force

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fiscal discipline on the parts of municipalities and school districts. Those are indeed the pluses. On the other hand, in order to garner legislative support for the 2% cap, Governor Christie eliminated direct voting on the municipal and school

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budgets. In other words, if towns and districts kept their tax levy increase within what was considered a reasonable 2% plus waiverss, the community would no longer vote on the budget each year. But the cap is not adjusted for

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inflation and that can result in the elimination of programs and services as districts try to keep within the 2%. This has led to some districts charging families for participation in sports and other extracurricular activities. And finally, districts rely more heavily on

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already scarce state funding to meet their needs. And in always unique Hoboken, the tax levy had an unanticipated effect. my opinion, we have in effect four school districts and in several years the

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allowable 2% levy increase was less than the charter school funding for that year funding which is included in the district's annual budget. And so the district uses every available cap waiver to meet its own rising costs.

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Since 2011, the average school tax levy increase has been 4.9%. M you're going to talk a little bit more about caps. >> Yes. >> Thanks, Tom. Um to understand how we fund the district responsibly while

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navigating state mandates, we must look at a critical tool called bank cap. As Tom just mentioned, u by New Jersey state law, school districts are generally limited to 2% annual increases in local tax levy. This ceiling was created to provide property tax relief

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and keep increases predictable for residents. Um, however, the 2% cap often doesn't cover rising fixed costs like health benefits, special education in growing diverse districts like ours. Bank cap is essentially saved taxing

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authority and it is generated in two ways. The first way is under budgeting. If a district doesn't use its full allowable 2% increase in a given year, the unused portion is banked. The second way is called the local fair

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share. The state calculates the local fair share, what they believe a community should be paying for its schools based on property, wealth, and income. If our taxing capacity is deemed higher than what we are actually raising, that difference is banked. It

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is important to know that these banked funds are not permanent. They have a three-year life cycle. If they aren't used within 3 years, that authority expires and is lost forever. So, how do we use this responsibly? We don't just access it because it's there. We follow

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a strict stand statemandated process. First, we document the unused cap from the last three years. Then, we project our budget needs and demonstrate a specific need that exceeds the standard 2% cap. Finally, we submit a formal request via state forms to use that

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banked portion. Banked cap is essentially our fiscal bridge. It allows us to align our local funding with the state's higher expectations for a community with Hoboken's resources. By using this tool responsibly, we aren't just balancing a budget. We are ensuring a stable foundation for our schools. It

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allows us to protect the essential programs that define our district. In a few moments, when we look at pilots, we'll see exactly why having the safety valve is so critical for this growing district. When we talk about state aid, we are referring to funding provided by the

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state of New Jersey to help support the cost of educating students locally. That state funding comes in several main categories. Core operating aid, which supports instruction, staffing, and general district operations. Special education aid, which helps offset the

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higher cost of services for students with disabilities. preschool education aid, which is speci specifically dedicated to funding our preschool programs, and other categorical aids that support specific student populations or programs. State aid is determined through a statewide formula

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known as the school funding reform act of 2008 or SFR. SFR is the state's method for estimating what it considers an adequate level of funding for each district based on student enrollment, student need, and measures of local fiscal capacity,

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including property values and income. The result of that calculation is sometimes referred to as a district's fair share, which Miss Angley also mentioned, or local share expectation. Essentially, the amount of the formula assumes a community should be able to

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contribute locally with the state providing funding to bridge the gap between that local capacity and the cost of providing inadequate education. The SFRA was developed in response to long-standing concerns about unequal school funding across New Jersey with the goal of creating a consistent

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statewide approach to determining how education costs are shared between the state and local taxpayers. In 2018, the state enacted legislation known as Senate Bill S2, which began to take effect starting in the 2019 2020

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school year. This legislation did not change the SFR formula itself, but it did change how adjustments to state aid would be phased in over time. Specifically, it created a multi-year transition process intended to gradually align districts state aid levels more

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closely with the amounts calculated under the SFR. As a result, districts across the state experience changes in aid depending on how their existing funding compared to their formulabased fair share calculation.

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for our district over the S2 period from 2019 2020 to 202 2425. Those phased adjustments resulted in a cumulative net reduction of approximately $1.82 million in total

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state aid. Importantly, this was not a single-year change, but a gradual reduction spread across multiple budget cycles, which has had a compounding impact on the operating budget over time. Over time, the interactions between the SFRA based local share

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expectations and the state's levy cap framework have shaped how districts manage their budgets from year to year, including the use of allowable tools such as bank cap to help smooth tax levy impacts across budget cycles. In preparing this year's budget, we also

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reviewed all available funding sources, including federal title grants, to ensure they were fully aligned with eligible uses, and where possible were used strategically to reduce pressure on the local tax levy. In more recent years, total state aid for this district

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has increased. However, a significant portion of that increase has been directed towards preschool education funding. While we are very appreciative of that support, those funds are specifically restricted and must be used solely for that program. They cannot be applied to general operating expenses or

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used to offset the local tax levy. As a result, even when total state aid increases, the portion available to support the broader K12 operating budget does not necessarily increase at the same rate. Taken together, SFR funding,

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SFR driven funding levels, the phased adjustments under S2, and the restrictions on certain categories of aid are all important parts of the context behind the budget you're seeing tonight. Thank you. State aid for 2025 2026 school year

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increased by just over $1 million or 4.06%. But the key takeaway, as Vicki mentioned, is that these funds are restricted. About 512,000 of them is allocated specifically for preK programs, while approximately 495,000 is

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for K to2. So although the increase sounds significant, the district still has very limited flexibility in how these dollars can actually be used across a broader budget. for the 2026 2027 uh state aid funding. As you can see, um the 4.31 increase,

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which is the 1.1 million uh versus prior years. Um of that amount, 701,000 has been restricted um and allocated to prek funding and may only be used for prek funding programs. The remaining

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411,000 is allocated to K through2 funding and is also restricted, meaning it can only be used for kindergarten through 12th grade education. It is important to understand the impact pilot agreements have on the district and the Hoboken community. As we look at

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this slide, notice the traditional levy funding on the left. In that scenario, every new building helps carry the load. The amount residents pay in taxes is based on market value assessments and therefore school revenue increases as property values increase. On the right,

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when the city negotiates pilot agreements or payments in lie of taxes with developers, a negotiated fixed payment is made typically over 30 years to the city and a small piece to the county. However, the developer exemp is exempt from paying the school district. These negotiated payments made from a

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developer to the city and county are fixed and don't change as property values grow. To be as transparent as possible, the district did negotiate with the city on a few of the recent piloted um properties to receive a small annual payment out of the pilot for 770

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Jackson. We have received $200,000 this year and have included that amount in the 2627 budget, which you'll see in the revenue section of this presentation. This leads us to a critical point for all of us. As more of our city's property wealth moves into pilot

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agreements, the pool of taxpayers who fund the district stays the same size while our student body and our city grow. This effectively shifts the financial responsibility for our growing diverse district onto a smaller percentage of the total property base.

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It means the traditional taxpayers, people in this room, are carrying the weight of a city that is becoming much wealthier on paper than our school budget reflects. This is exactly why we discussed bank cap earlier. We use tools like bank cap not to place an extra

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burden on those residents, but to ensure we are meeting the state's expectations for a community with our level of resources. It allows us to capture the revenue the state says we should have, ensuring our schools don't fall behind while the rest of the city moves forward. Thank you.

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>> Our district has seen remarkable enrollment growth over the past 15 to 16 years of 53.5% outpacing the city's residential growth rate. Over the past 10 years, from 201516 to the present, we have seen

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enrollment growth at 47%. Breaking some of the stereot stereotypes and false narratives that have been shared, prek has only grown by 17% at that time. Kindergarten through fifth grade or our elementary level has grown by 75%.

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Our middle school grade levels 6 through 8 have grown by 57% and our high school grades 9 through 12 have grown by 56%. Growth across the board at all levels, not just in preK, has put stress on our aging facilities, programs, and

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staffing. We have had to find new preschool space, primarily because we need space freed up in our current elementary schools. It is highly possible that next school year, Wallace will be the only elementary school with prepaid classrooms. And with the need for more space in Wallace, we had to

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actively and creatively secure 38 Jackson. Hoboken Middle School in this demerest building is busting at the seams right now. And all three of our elementary schools are over the state's recommended fees. In other words, how the state

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defines and calculates functional capacity. We are anticipating upwards of an additional 200 students next school year conservatively speaking leading to the need for additional staff, additional instructional materials and supplies and expansion of programs.

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>> So, oh thank you. So we'll talk a little bit about um facilities. I can see looking at a lot of people in the room will be familiar with this but this is for all um as you saw in the total appropriations um facilities is only about 4.5% of this

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general fund but it still warrants an explanation because it's a you know 4.6 million is not a small amount of money. I it's important that everybody understand in the school district a key thing about about municipal infrastructure buildings and municipal infrastructure

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do not age in a straight line. They go through cycles. Um you'll find that every couple of decades, every 20 to 30 years, there's a major cycle that facilities would normally go through where you move from maintenance to capital reinvestment and then back into

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a maintenance mode. Um, as our buildings get older, those cycles become more intensive and more frequent. For perspective, I believe that the median age of our buildings is just after World War I. Uh, the second factor I really do

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want to bring up is the intensity of the use on those facilities. Uh, it was just mentioned an overall 53.5% increase in in enrollment growth. Well, that puts more intensity on each of these uses and it means to provide not

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provide not only the curriculum and the extracurricular facilities. Um, but it it also protects that critical relationship that we have between the size of our classrooms and our stu and our faculty which has been

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so at the core and at the center of our growth and performance as a district over the last several years. Um and finally just in general you know the feedback from the community and from the faculty and administration is clear uh we need maintained building uh versus

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less maintained buildings. They are aging um it is felt. So I wanted to be sure that when we talk about going into the maintenance of these facilities these are the key things that drive um costs around our existing

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infrastructure. Um our vision and our mission sorry our vision and our mission drive us to educate the whole child and that's to ensure that every child is prepared to succeed not only academically but socially and beyond. We as a district are committed to foster student

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achievement and academic success. A readiness for the future in college, careers, and life. A safe and supportive environment that is conducive to learning. A solid foundation of strong educators and staff, community partnership and engagement, and

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facilities that support modern teaching and learning. Our budget makes this possible, and the success of our academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular offerings speaks for itself. as Antonio can elaborate. >> So, a few points of distinction and the

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reason why this is important and and tying back to facilities is that it means despite those limitations and the challenges that we talk about, we have never faltered on quality and making the things that would make our school district distinction. So despite

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the, you know, we talked about the the the negative challenges here, let's look at some of the values, some of the results. You'll see a lot of things here on your screen, I just point out a couple. If you take a look at like the AP bronze honor role, which is recent recognition, these are accomplishments

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quite frankly not heard of in this district 10 or even 15 or even 10 years ago. If you look across all of these scores, this is a reflection of our increasing performance within the county, within the state, and within the country.

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We've made that consistent, you know, commitment to quality despite the fact of the challenges of undertaxing and aging facilities. Um, we're very proud of it, but more than anything, we're very proud of our students that accomplished this. Thank you.

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I will be walking you through our English language arts and more uh achievement data and more importantly what it tells us about the trajectory of Hoken public schools. When we look at this data over time, the story is clear.

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In the 2015 2016 school year, our district was at 39% proficiency in ELA, significantly behind compared to the state, which at that time was at 55%. Today, we are at 71% while the state is

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finding themselves at 53%. This represents not just growth but a complete shift in district performance from below the state to well above it. What this tells us is that our students are achieving at significantly higher

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levels. Our system is producing sustained long-term growth and we have moved from a district that was once catching up to one that is now outperforming the state. This did not happen by chance. This growth is a result of our commitment to structured

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literacy and the science of reading. Strong consistent tier one instruction across classrooms. Ongoing data analysis and instructional adjustments. This is what happens when instruction is aligned, intentional, and focused on

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student outcomes. At the same time, we are not declaring victory. We know that there are still inconsistencies across classrooms and grade levels. We must continue to strengthen student independence and application of skills. And we need to ensure that this level of

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performance is sustained for every student. So our work moving forward is clear. Maintain and protect the gains we've made, tighten instructional consistency across the system, and continue to push students towards higher levels of thinking and performance. So

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when we look at this data, we look at we see more than just numbers. We we see a district that has transformed its outcomes, that is outpacing the state and is committed to ensuring that every student continues to grow. Building on what uh our assistant

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superintendent just described in in all ways, we also want to look at the math data um from the same time period. Um, as you can see, math proficiency just 10 years ago was woefully low and had been chronic chronically low for many, many

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years. Since the 2015 2016 school year, math proficiency has been ticking up slowly at first and then by leaps and bounds. Um, since 2020, we are now not only not only outperforming the state, but progressing at a much faster rate

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than the state. um in the same way that uh Miss Rodriguez Gomez has described for ELA. Across the district, we continue to see strong recognition at every level. From our lighthouse district and blue ribbon distinctions to being named a high

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performing district through NJQAC, AP honor roll recognition, project lead the way national distinction, best communities for music education, mocktra championships, and statewide sportmanship recognition. These achievements achievements reflect the hard work of our students, staff,

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administrators, and families and show the strength of our program across academics, arts, athletics, and extracurriculars. So, now we're shifting back to the cost and the budget. But before we do, I just want to take a moment to recognize the incredible success and achievement that

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this school district, our teachers, and our students have had over the course of the last 10 years. I think for many of us when we first got involved in education issues here in Hoboken, maybe when we first ran for the board or we enrolled our first child in public schools, there were might be question

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marks about what was the future going to look like? What was the middle school going to look like? What was the high school going to look like? Were there going to be programs and services available that would fit the need of my learner? That picture has radically transformed

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over the course of the last 10 years. And this is now a school district that can compete with any school district in the state of New Jersey and I would say with many many private schools across the greater area. Um and many people in Hoboken have a lot of choice in where

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their children go to school. And many are deciding that this school district is in fact the district of choice because of the opportunities that their children are afforded in a very diverse and welcoming environment. And now I get to talk about increase in cost in salary and benefits and charter

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school funding. So without much surprise, the biggest line items in our budget drive the majority of this tax levy increase. So these are the big cost drivers between the growth for 2627 and they account for the majority of our

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budget. So, if we look in the middle, um salaries represent over 43% of our total appropriations and represent um just shy of 19.5% of the budget increase for this year. It's important to remember that as students walk through these buildings,

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as new families move into Hoboken, and as new families enroll, if they come and register with us, we have a legal obligation to seat those children. So, as many new buildings come online, even buildings with smaller two-bedroom apartments, if children register, they add to that enrollment growth, and

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that's what really drives that 50% plus that Dr. Johnson spoke to earlier. Now, along with those salaries come benefits for our teachers and our staff. And benefits, while not the largest um line item in our budget, really drove a huge

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chunk of this year's the lion share of this year's increase, over 34.62%. 62%. This is a challenge that every school district in the state of New Jersey is facing. It is a challenge that many employers are facing and it is something that we are committed to attempting to

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mitigate in future years, but we have to pay the benefits for our employees. We don't have the option to not pay this. While there may be other school districts within Hudson County who opted not to pay those bills, that's not something that we do here. We take care of our staff and we are going to make

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sure that people have the health benefits that they're entitled to per their contractual obligations. And then finally, the last um highest driver of the tax levy increase is our payments to the charter schools. That represents 14.09%

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of the overall budget, but it's 7.25% of the increase. That is not a number that we are able to influence in any way. That comes to us from the state. This budget funds all four districts here in town. So that 89% of the funding of the

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local tax levy that makes up this budget flows down into the charter schools for their individual budgets. And that's something that we don't have an influence over. So there's it's not discretionary for us. It's a bill that we have to pay. And much like our costs

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are increasing, I would assume that theirs are as well. This slide provides the comprehensive view of our district's revenue for the 2627 school year. Our total projected budget is $12,341,594. As you can see from the breakdown, the

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defining characteristic of our budget is a heavy reliance on local funding. The tax levy accounts for 89.25% nearly $91.4 million of our total revenue. To put that in perspective, state aid provides approximately 9% or

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9.2 million and then the other revenue makes up less than 2% um including federal sources, the uh pilot um related payment that I spoke about earlier and then um some miscellaneous revenue. Because nearly nine out of 10 dollars we

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use to run our schools comes directly from the local tax levy, the health of our district is tied directly to our local community's support. This high level of local investment is what allows us to maintain our standards and provide opportunities for our students.

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Now that we have established where the funding comes from, I will turn it over to Tom who will discuss appropriations and how these dollars are being put to work in our classrooms and facilities. >> I think that's uh that's okay.

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Um as described earlier, the major cost drivers um are essentially fixed and much of the district's spending is essentially fixed. Um when we look at the salary component, as you can see, the largest appropriation category here is salaries. It's approximately 45

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million, which is almost 44% of the district's appropriation and that's spent on salaries. board members as a whole um felt that uh teacher salaries and we felt strongly the teacher salary was a key driver to be able to attract and retain quality teachers. The quality

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of our teaching staff is critical to our level of student achievement. As referenced, the first step on the salary guide for an entry- level teacher with a bachelor's degree in the district is currently $61,000. So when I talk about health benefits, it's important to know that we're

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looking at calendar year and the budget is looking at fiscal year. So there's estimating that has to happen. But as Ailen described earlier and if you keep up with the news, it is no surprise to you that state health benefits are anticipated to jump 37% for calendar

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2027. Now, while the district cannot know for certain its calendar 2027 healthcare costs at this time, the budget includes the lowest reasonable estimate for an increase. If actual increases come in higher, further cuts will need to be made to cover that increase. The administration continues

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to investigate opportunities to reduce the cost of employee health insurance, but many of these efforts take months or years to come to fruition. With respect to charter schools, as described, the district is obligated to pay charter school tuition for Hoboken

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residents attending charter schools with that amount being determined and fixed by the state. 14,424,000 of our 2627 budget will go to charter schools to fulfill that obligation. With regards to special education, we

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are obligated by state and federal law to provide a free and appropriate education for all students that live in Hoboken. Some of those students have special needs for which we can provide services and supports in district. Other students have special needs, whether

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they be learning disabilities, physical needs, behavioral supports, mental uh therapeutic supports that require highly specialized services and supports in outofd district schools, education in medical settings or at home.

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Approximately 7.7 million has been budgeted for these purposes which represent 7.49% of the budget. With regards to facilities, including utilities, 4.55% of the district's budget or approximately 4.7 million is

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budgeted for our existing facilities for maintenance for necessary repairs and addressing potential safety issues of our existing aging facilities as well as utilities. Curriculum, instruction, and support is 4.19% of the budget, and other employee

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benefits represents 3.81% of the budget. Transportation represents 3.42% of the budget and includes special education students transportation per their IEPs as well as transportation for athletic teams, certain co-curricular activities,

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and field trips. I will note that all of these bus routes are bid out, but costs in New Jersey continue to increase due to the shortage of bus drivers, cost of gas, and locally the difficulty of operating in a city. Co-curricular activities are 2.861% 61% of the budget

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and general administration costs are 1.2% of the budget. Uh this year's budget increase is driven by a combination of rising costs and uh changes and in certain instances losses of revenue that we have utilized in the

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past to help offset costs. Going back to what I described earlier regarding the 2% levy cap. Under that cap, a 2% increase in the tax levy this year would be a little over $1.8 million in additional revenue for

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the district. That amount would typically help absorb routine increases in the cost of providing services. But as we already know, the proposed uh increase in the tax levy is $17.4 million. This means the increase is roughly 15.6

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million over what a standard 2% uh cap increase would provide and the difference reflects both increases in the cost of providing services coupled with changes in revenues that historically help uh offset these revenues. This slide breaks down the major drivers behind that increase

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compared to last year. The largest category, as we already know, is uh employee health benefits, who are projected to increase by approximately $6 million this year. This reflects uh broader market cost increases in healthcare just like every

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other employee in New Jersey as we're seeing double-digit premium increases. It's also worth noting that under state law, our staff members do actually contribute towards those costs as well. The second largest driver, as we've already seen, is salaries, which are

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increasing by approximately $3.4 million. This includes negotiated salary increases and staffing adjustments adjustments needed to uh meet enrollment growth and program requirements. Again, uh charter school funding is

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increasing by 1.3 million. Although funded by taxpayers, the money is collected by the district and distributed to the charter schools throughout the school year. And that funding, of course, as we've just heard, is determined by the state formula and must be included in the district's

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budget. The remaining categories include uh essential operational uh costs such as facilities, maintenance, and repairs. And as we know partic that's of particular importance given the age of uh several of our buildings.

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Uh the categories also include transportation for out of district special education placements. You can see those uh percentage increases uh instructional materials, student support services, technology and other

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program later expenses as well as administrative costs. And that's a big category because that includes uh everything that used to manage everything that's necessary to manage the school system covering administrative staff, office operations,

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and professional services such as legal, architectural, and audit costs. Those are all required by the state. And these are uh there are some additional uh employee benefits such as tuition reimbursement

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and sick bank payouts. Taken together, these core operating areas account for approximately two 12.6 million of the overall increase. The decrease in revenue that I had touched on earlier. district will

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continue to receive state and federal aid with modest increases uh over this current year. However, we are also looking at decreases in certain other revenue uh sources. Increasing elementary enrollment

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requires that we reclaim classrooms that have been rented in the past to the preschool program. that rental income is less that loss of rental income is is is less uh revenue. Uh tuition revenue is slightly down as

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well. There are a handful of students from out of Hoboken who pay to come attend this district and we're just a handful of students uh are are moving on. But the biggest loss of revenue in this budget is related to what's called fund

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balance. Fund balance is the money we anticipate having left at the end of the current year that was budgeted for unexpected or one-time costs. Kind of an emergency fund that we uh any any school district

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uh uh budgets for. Any unused money that is left over at the end of the year becomes fund balance and is used to help reduce the tax levy the following year. this year's budget 2526.

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In this year's budget, 3.5 million of fund balance from the previous year was used to support the operating budget and help offset costs. By contrast, in this year's budget, no fund balance is being used. Unexpected uh costs in the current

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year mean that we do not have any meaningful surplus beyond the 2% recommended by the New Jersey Department of Education. So, we are no longer relying on such one-time savings to carry forward and pay for recurring everyday expenses the

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following year. Instead, we are moving toward a more sustainable model where ongoing revenues actually match ongoing costs. So, going back to that increase of 17.4 million, approximately 12.6 million of that is driven by actual

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identifiable cost increases. The remaining portion reflects the net impact of reduced revenue and the absence of any fund balance. The board collectively takes very seriously our legal duty to reach consensus on a budget that balances the

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educational needs of the students of the district with the taxpayers's ability to support the budget. The board's diligence extended to every aspect of the budget and over $2.5 million was cut from this proposed budget from the

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original budget that was introduced in March. As Tom has just described, many of the district's costs are fixed or are subject to inflationary pressures outside of the district's control. Notably, the board did consider staffing cuts or not increasing the amount of

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teachers to reflect the increase in our student body, which would have resulted in an increase in class sizes. As a whole, the board felt strongly that preserving class sizes was important to student success as larger class sizes

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necessarily reduce individual attention and as a result negatively impact student outcomes. Supports for co-curricular and extracurricular programs were also examined, but the board collectively believed that co-curricular and extracurricular

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activities such as athletic teams, theater and debate, and music are critical to student engagement, overall well-being, and development. concerns about payto pay paytoplay policies impacting um and creating inequities

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with respect to which students could afford to participate weighed heavily on this decision to maintain these programs. We examined further reducing the facilities and maintenance budget. However, as three of our five buildings are over 115 years old and have not had

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any major renovations, there were valid concerns that deferring maintenance would lead to higher costs and potentially safety risks. Our expenditures related to programs supporting the special needs of students were analyzed. The vast majority of the

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those expenditures are required by state or federal law. The rest of the board felt the rest the board felt were important to preserve based on our mission to support all students in a fair and equitable manner. In some the board tested the ability of the district

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to reduce its budget in numerous ways, but ultimately felt that these items needed to ret remain in the district's budget to preserve and protect the existing quality of education for all of our students. I do want to add that as part of its review of its programs and

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facilities, the board reviewed the district's participation in the state's school choice program. With the school choice students, Hoboken High School will be at 85 students over capacity as determined by the state's recommended 85% of the recommended square footage

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per student as set forth in the state's facilities efficiency standard. And by those current standards, all five of the district's buildings are over recommended capacity. However, tuition for the school choice students brings in

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approximately $3.2 million of revenue for approximately 140 students with the only entry point being by competition by competitive application in grade 9. Discontinuing the school choice program

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would result in an additional 4% increase in the tax levy which we the board did not feel was prudent. So what does this what does this increase mean for the average taxpayer in Hoboken? Assessed value is a value

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assigned to a property by the local tax assessor for taxation purposes and often differs from what a home is bought or sold for, which reflects current market conditions. As Leslie mentioned earlier, a home with an average assessed value of

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$532,600 would see an average annual tax increase of $71459. That breaks down to about a $5955 per month or $1.96 per day for residents. And now a word about public education

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and what it means and why it's here. Public education is one of the pillars upon which this country was founded and has been deemed crucial to a fair and democratic society. It is a fundamental civil right and the primary engine for mobility, responsible citizenry and

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equality of opportunity. In my opinion, when it's done well and right, it is the first and most important step to ensuring that each of our students finds their way to personal success and thereby become becomes a contributing member of the community when they leave us. By providing free, accessible,

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quality education to all children, regardless of background or circumstance, we as a district and a community fulfill a collective societal obligation to unlock potential and hopefully create a better, more fair, and cohesive society through the next

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generation and generations after that. The Hoboken Public School District strives to fulfill this promise and foster this right every single day and has made incredible progress through our talented and passionate superintendent administration and our incredible teachers.

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Early in this presentation, you saw the amazing progress our tax dollars have made possible over the years. These are your tax dollars at work. So, how can you help our district grow, thrive, and succeed? Our students do best when our community is engaged and

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connected. Stay informed and attend. Being aware of what's happening, and showing up when it matters. Support our schools through volunteering, attending events, and contributing to the students experiences. Share your voice so we're hearing directly from families as decisions are made. partner with us,

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working together to expand opportunities, programs, and resources, and advocate for our students, continuing to push for the support they need to succeed. When we stay involved in these ways, it makes a real difference for every student. Last but not least, on Tuesday, May

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12th, the board of education will vote on the proposed budget. At that point, the userfriendly budget will be posted on our website. In the meantime, you can access the presentation you just saw by visiting www.hobogen.k12.nj.

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us and then click on the circular icon that says budget in the middle of the page. When you do, you will find a budget summary page with a hyperlink to this presentation and an email to send questions. Thank you. >> I'd like to take a moment to thank Miss

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Lopez, Dr. Johnson, Mr. Clfell, and our finance committee for all of the hard work that they've put into this year's budget and to this year's budget presentation. This was truly a labor of love with people really hunkering down to make sure that we are able to tell the story of this year's budget as

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clearly as possible. So, with that being said, we will move on to public comments on agenda items. To be clear, the agenda item is the budget. Comments on anything else would go on public comments on agenda and non-aggenda items. And if you'd like to sign up, the sheets are down in front. I

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think we may need to give people a moment to sign up if they want to. And before we open for public comment, just a reminder, over the years and most recently, the board has been asked why it does not prohibit or stop comments about school district employees from individuals who speak during the public

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comment portion of the meeting. The short answer is that the law prevents the board from censoring comments. As my tablet decides to die, I should have this memorized. from censoring comments made about district personnel. The board does not condone nor is the board a

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party to comments as such. However, just because a speaker may have the right to say what he or she feels, it does not absolve a speaker from liability for any comments that could be viewed as defamatory by an employee. Should speakers say something that subjects them to a civil suit, the responsibility

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falls squarely on the speaker and not on the board. Board policy requires that all speakers please state your name, municipality of residence, and business affiliation if any. Speakers are allowed 5 minutes and Vice President Norwood will quietly motion when you have 30 seconds remaining. Please address all

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comments to the chair. Board policy states the board welcomes comments on matters of interest to the board, but this is not an opportunity for dialogue or debate between speakers and the board members or superintendent. We have four people signed up for the agenda comments. Um, Paul presently

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Am I allowed to touch it? >> We're not. You're not allowed to touch it in order. I want to make sure we don't have Jerry. >> Ours isn't fancy and doesn't move. >> Thank you. Uh my name is Paul Preszano.

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Uh first word councilman and I come to speak to you as a councilman. um over the past month or I should say couple months our side of things at the city we've received a lot of blowback from a 24

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1.5% increase which is now down to 20 from our side of things in that same realm I've gotten emails from my constituents out of the first ward that they're not happy with the board of education numbers as well so everything's piling on top of them we

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all are elected officials And we all are struggling with this right now to deal with that. So I share your pain. What I do want to say is the one theme that I keep hearing from my residents and many one don't know where to go to say this cuz they don't know about the

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meeting. Um it's tough enough to get people to come to a council meeting. However, to get to a board of ed meeting it's even more difficult. So I felt to take it upon myself to give you the feedback from my residents in the first ward that have reached out to me.

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And the one core theme is that residents are just struggling with the fact that costs are out of our control as as a message we give to them and that it's not acceptable anymore. It's we're their

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thought processes. We're elected to solve problems and not give reasons. So that core theme keeps coming up over and over with first ward residents and it's not only just on the board of education, it's for the city's budget as

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well. And it's a very difficult setup for us because our hierarchy is a little different than yours. And so we have a mayor that gives us a budget whereas I believe you kind of drive a lot of the process and don't have that setup that we do. But I'm here

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to tell you that feedback and then I'm going to move on to the positive. I know that the district is not very happy with the word pilot and I think many of you know that I haven't been as well but we've worked and some of my colleagues before me have worked to get make sure that you get your I'm not going to say

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fair share but get your share. I do want to say that the first ward is going under a redevelopment phase and there's more projects coming and that since I have been um in office every time we have a redevelopment the first thing

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that I make sure that anybody that comes to the city or has a discussion about it is that there is a need in the community for school space. So, what I will say tonight is that two

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projects may be coming up by the end of the year, and I'm more than sure that the administration will be happy to have work together with me on this to provide uh potentially a standalone school and a space where I believe maybe could help

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alleviate some of the capacity that you may need or another another avenue in this or another educational facility in the city may need, but it may help you alleviate the problems so you can now address some of the aging issues that

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you brought up tonight. So in that when we have quote unquote, which I hate this word of give backs when there is redevelopment, the first ward will give back some things to make sure that we can

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help you guys not have extra costs. So, we're going to try to give back space to make sure that the city side of things is helping the public school side of things or the schools in general in Hobok and our children that we are setting up a plan that the first ward

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does not have any schools. You we're in the corner near Rue but there's nothing else. So, I for one want to see that cuz then it completes my ward especially with everything coming down there. So tonight I wanted to end with a positive that the city and many of my colleagues

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will probably share my view that we're doing our part to try to help because we know that the pilots sometimes are detrimental to many educ and many people in the education field will say. So going forward, if there is a pilot,

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there'll be a massive benefit for you guys in some of these uh facilities, which hopefully will allow you that overflow or the ability to move students and we can fix some of our aging facilities. Thank you for your time. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilman Presenzano. And

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just as an aside, you know, I believe the city's total assessed valuation is around 12.2 billion. And the last I checked or had decent data available to me it was there's 1.75 billion in assessed valuation under pilot that isn't contributing towards

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the schools. That is that is not an insignificant number. It's not and you're talking about just like our state aid cuts as it goes you know it it's cumulative that is also cumulative as students come out of those buildings year after year. So it it is something

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that weighs very heavily on us because you know like your first board residents reaching out to you they are likely folks who are traditional taxpayers who are shouldering the burden of a lot of those piloted properties and they probably feel like gosh I've been here a long time why why is why is this number going up again? So so we do understand

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that we appreciate you sharing the um perspective of the first word residents. >> The next speaker is Michael Russo. Good evening everyone. Um, Michael Russo, third ward councilman here speaking to you as a councilman, but

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more importantly here speaking to you as a father of four children who either attend Hoboken public schools or have attended Hoboken public schools. And in addition to that, I'm a proud graduate of Calabro School back when it was K through 8 and a proud graduate of

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Hoboken High School. So, I'm a Redwing through and through. And the reason I say that is because I want to make it very clear. There was a comment made that supporting this budget is a way to support our

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school system. I disagree with that statement. I support our school system wholeheartedly, but I do not support our school system blindly. As a councilman, I am struggling with

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the same exact thing you are struggling with when it comes to how we're funding, in your case, the the education of our children, in my case, the city of Hoboken and its budget. I understand exactly what you're going

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through. I understand how contentious some of those committee meetings are. I understand that there's a difference of opinion amongst you all and that you have to find a way forward. I understand all of that. But that does not mean that it doesn't

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affect our residents. We all do it. The city does it, the board does it, and the county does it. And you had a slide specific, right? This tax increase from the school board only represents X amount of dollars. And in a year when the school board is

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the only tax increase, that makes sense. But you're looking at 23 and a half% here. You're looking at almost 20% at the city of Hoboken. And you're probably looking at about 10% more from the county of Hudson. Overall,

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to every resident in the city of Hoboken, you're looking at an overall tax increase of about 18% if nothing else changes. That is not $700 a year. There's a lot more money. And I understand you're only responsible

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for your portion and the city's only responsible for our portion, but we must look at it in its totality. We must talk about our tax increase across the board. I agree with a lot of things that were said here tonight when it comes to our teachers, our students, their

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accomplishments. Absolutely true. Without question. I disagree with some of the financial analysis, especially when it comes to pilots. I understand your struggle with that, but when you look at the totality

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of the tax increase, a pilot actually decreases the the burden on the individual Hoboken taxpayer because we get more money that the county is not getting from a pilot. And that's a dispute and I understand that. There's two different ways of looking at it and

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I'm okay with that. But I am begging you, and I'm not going to get into all the the disagreements, but I am begging you to go back and look at your budget again. Your biggest driver, healthcare. And I've probably spoken to most of you,

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including Dr. Johnson, about healthcare. The state of New Jersey loves the fact that you participate in the state plan. We have a young population in our employees and school in in school district. You are all paying for the

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older populations across the state of New Jersey. We have a healthier pool than most municipalities. Relook at that. Find a way out. That is where you're going to save a lot of money. I'm talking about it on the city

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side. We're self-insured on the city side. And there's things that we could do because we have that flexibility. I beg you, look at alternatives. Find other ways. If you can't do it this year, you do it next year. But you have to find those ways. You have to go back.

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You have to look at your budget again and you have to find other cuts and other revenue sources. That's the only way we help all of our residents. So, I know you have a big job ahead of you. I hope you could do that and I wish you all the best. Thank you. >> Thank you, Councilman Russo.

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>> The next speaker is Barry Gman. Hi Barry Gman Hobokin. Um congratulations on the success of the students and teachers for helping them on national teachers appreciation week. Um I'm a product of public education and

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I'm also an adjunct at uh and our buildings have the same challenges as a lot three of the six buildings in Hobokens. They're dated. They need help but we still managed to um create excellent results. the budget, the taxpayer portion you show. I understand,

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but it's really disingenuous to myself as a taxpayer because as uh Councilman Russo said, it's one/ird the pie. I understand you have to show it, but um in a perfect world, I would say, hey, great, approved the budget, you know, great results and all that, but reality,

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today's reality, we also are struggling with our personal budgets. So, please dig deeper and let's find a way to bring down numbers. Thank you so much for everything you do. Thank you. >> Thank you, Mr. Gman. >> The final speaker for this portion is

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Manuel Rivera Saler. Little ASMR while you sit. Manuel River, Hobok and six ward resident. Not a councilman yet. Just kidding. Just kidding. Just kidding.

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Just had a little chance. I just wanted to put some levity in this situation. But yeah, this is serious business. This is the people's um pocketbook we're talking about. And all of the cuts that I heard, um, some of them are appreciative, but some of them,

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uh, are worrisome in regards to when you say you're deducting, um, for students in special, um, special education, the 81,000, which is sports and education, pardon me. Um, that worries me. Is is that enough being that I come up many

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times um throughout the year asking you why certain things going up and certain things are not when when it's for school? So those those types of things worry me. I'm sure that members of the public would appreciate um that always being first in mind to be the last one of the last things to cut as well as um

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free lunches and and school programs which I always come and advocate for. But again, as um the other members of the public have spoken, um it is a difficult situation when um everything throughout um the state and the nation

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um are just going, like I said last meeting, they're all going out of hand. We we're in a position where we want to do the best, but sometimes difficult choices need to be made. So in this case in this budget

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I believe that maybe there's some way you could find other cuts as was mentioned before earlier it is a difficult thing um to try to do being with the constraints that we have but we must try again if not this time we should propose it for the next time

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because as I see it when you mention um facilities um yeah the facilities are old and I always mention them just like this this building with the scaffolding and the things that are not fixed that is not going to be cheaper down the

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line. So, we need to find a way as a district and as a whole and even if we we have to um do things where members of the public could perhaps um I don't know create some kind of uh organization that may want to preserve the 100-year-old

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buildings where my aunts and and and my uncles graduated from this school. And um I just I'm just a lost for words because it is it is overwhelming because your job is hard and the people who have to

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come up to you and say why is it so high then you have to explain to them but we have to find a common ground. If there's anywhere else that could be um reduced it would be appreciated but I know that it's a tough job. But again, um, a person that's up here every almost

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every month asking you why are things going higher? I understand that this is tough, but I appreciate your attention and I appreciate the members of the public expressing their opinions, but if there's any way, let us know and we'll give feedback and I hope other members of the public who are watching also

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participate in the conversation. Thank you all. Thank you, Madam President. >> Thank you. >> And I yel back. >> Thank you. >> Don't don't go anywhere. You're next. >> Your general comment. >> Oh, so we don't have a consent agenda for this meeting. So, we're going to move on to public comments on agenda and

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non-aggenda items. >> That's you. >> Okay. Then, uh, thank you very much, uh, Madame President. Uh, since this is at lib, then I will say how are you? How are you doing? I hope you're doing well. Hope members of the public are doing well. Um, again, I sign both because

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it's important to have someone to speak. Um, I have nephews and nieces and and family members that are in the school district and friends and neighbors and they all feel that it is important when you give your opinion in these meetings that sometimes they feel they're not

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being heard. But I say yes, come to the meetings and they'll hear you or they'll speak to you um, you know, separately. But again, my only thoughts are these. If we can have a better dialogue, if we can hear more um from the budget and from other things that go on in school

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like last last meeting that was contentious with people not wanting an event in in in the high school. Um those things are important because they affect us all and again we're living in a nation and in a country pardon me in in in a world that's getting very dangerous

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regardless if we want to accept it or not. So we have to always protect our children. our school district is paramountly important, but we need to understand that dialogue is where everything comes down to or what

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everything comes down to and we must we must speak to each other civily and again I always appreciate your attention and the attention of the public and sometimes it's hard when you're at living but uh I just want to again say thank you very much for the

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work you've fun. Thank you to the teachers. I wish we could pay them more. Um, but the issue is we don't have enough money, but we will try. So, thank you again, Madam President. Thank you all and thank you to the members of the public for their participation this

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evening and uh congratulations to all the teachers. Thank you. >> Do we have any other speakers signed up, Miss Lopez? >> No, we do not. >> All righty. So with no um further speakers that concludes our meeting. Do I have a motion to adjurnn?

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>> Motion. Second. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> Thank you and good night.