BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Students planning to play sports or participate in activities at Bernards Township Schools could be expected to pay a fee next school year. However, it could be less than what was initially floated.
Superintendent Nick Markarian announced at the March 23 Board of Education(BOE) meeting that the activity fees are being proposed to help the district balance its budget for the 2026-27 school year.
Initially, he said costs could range anywhere from $50 to $200, depending on what the activity or sport is.
At the April 20 BOE meeting, Board member Robin McKeon clarified that the activities fee would be $100 maximum "for as many clubs and sports as you could possibly do at Ridge and the same thing, $50 for William Annin."
By instituting the fees, it could increase revenue by $500,000. This would help to close an approximate $6 million budget gap that the district was initially facing in January.
Staff Reductions, Tax Increase
Additionally, the Bernards Township School District is also proposing to reduce staff by $2.5 million and raise taxes by 4.98 percent to close the budget gap.
Markarian told Patch that the anticipated final range to close the gap is about 25 to 30 positions, or equal to $2.5 million when compared to July 1, 2025. Those positions range across almost every area of instruction and support services.
"We are taking advantage of staff resignations and retirements, and we have been doing that since last spring. So, will we have to have some folks that we have to let go for reasons of economy? Yes. We will, but we are trying to make sure we use every possible resignation or retirement first," said Markarian at the March 23 meeting.
This is similar to last year when the district cut 28 staff positions.
Budget Drivers
Rollo noted that the largest driver in the budget can be attributed to healthcare costs, which are up 13.94 percent or roughly $3 million. Additionally, other main factors included:
Rollo noted that most joint health insurance funds are seeing renewals in the 20 to 31 percent range.
"It’s not just us. It’s not very calming, but again it's a little reassuring that it's everybody that a better fix may come in the future," said Rollo at the March meeting.
Tax Impact
The average home property value projected in Bernards Township for 2026 will be around $931,637.26, with a tax bill of $10,032.15. Rollo estimated residents would see a tax increase of $489.27.
A public hearing and final vote on the budget is slated for May 4.
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