Tax Hike, Staff Cuts Loom As Bloomfield School District Hammers Out Budget

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — Bloomfield homeowners are looking at a potential 4.97 percent hike to their school taxes under the district’s latest proposed budget, which also includes a wave of teacher and staff cuts.

Administrators presented their tentative 2026-2027 spending plan at the Bloomfield Board of Education meeting on Tuesday. The district has released a presentation on the draft budget, which can be viewed online here.

The proposed general fund tax levy is $89,435,625. The estimated tax impact is $79.64 per $100,000 of assessed property value.

According to figures presented at Tuesday’s meeting, the district is facing about $10.4 million in cost increases, including $5 million for health benefits and $4 million for contractual increases.

To help balance the books, administrators are proposing several teacher and staff cuts:

• Instructional staff – 16 positions
• Administrators – 4 positions
• Facilities – 2 positions
• Clerical – 1 position
• Technician – 1 position

The district is also proposing a salary freeze for directors and non-affiliated staff, in addition to cuts in discretionary expenditures for supplies, subscriptions, technology and other supplemental programs.

A public hearing and final vote on the budget is scheduled for April 28.

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STATE AID IN BLOOMFIELD: ‘THIS IS HOW THE SYSTEM WORKS’

In addition to cost increases, the Bloomfield Public School District is also expected to see a 3 percent cut in funding under the proposed state budget.

Bloomfield is in line to get $49,978,624 in state aid, down from last year’s $51,524,356. That funding is earmarked as follows:

• Equalization Aid – $37,354,468
• Transportation Aid –$1,227,719
• Special Education Aid – $9,294,530
• Security Aid – $2,101,907

Property taxes in New Jersey are mainly made up of three parts: school, municipal and county. Experts say that a decrease in school aid – or even a flat number – can trigger an increase in taxes for a town’s homeowners.

>> RELATED: Average Bloomfield Property Tax Tops $12K: See Latest 5-Year Breakdown

The proposed drop in state aid is a major factor behind the financial crunch in Bloomfield, administrators said.

New Jersey Assemblyman Michael Venezia – a former mayor of Bloomfield – recently commented on the loss of state aid, saying he plans to “fight like hell” to get the funding restored.

“Bloomfield schools are losing $1.5 million in state aid,” Venezia reported last week in a social media post. “The reason is straightforward: in New Jersey, the school funding formula follows the student.”

“When school enrollment drops by 230 students, like Bloomfield schools did, the dollars follow them out the door,” Venezia said. “This is how the system works.”

“But here's what I want Bloomfield to understand: this didn't happen overnight,” he continued. “Enrollment trends don't change suddenly, they build over time. This has been visible for a while, and our district leadership had an obligation to plan for it. Instead, the first response has been to put the burden on our teachers and support services. That's wrong.”

“Our school employees didn't cause this problem,” Venezia said. “They show up every day for our kids, and they should not be the first ones asked to absorb the consequences of decisions that were made or not made, above their pay grade.”

“I am pressing the district for answers and a real plan that protects our classrooms and the people in them,” the assemblyman said. “Our students and teachers deserve nothing less, that’s why I’m going to fight like hell during this state budget process to get this money restored.”

Venezia’s social media post sparked a mixture of responses from local residents. As seen online:

• “Instead of starting with a public callout of local district leadership … you’re putting the cart before the horse. The school board has zero power to restore state aid – that’s on you and Trenton. Attacking or pressuring them first just creates unnecessary division.”
• “You're right – enrollment trends are predictable, and our educators shouldn't be the ones absorbing the consequences of a 'wait and see' approach. True protection for our classrooms requires proactive leadership development and robust systems that anticipate these shifts before they become budget crises.”
• “I also don't think it’s fair to burden the taxpayers. Our senior citizens are finding it hard to make ends meet. Also, for the citizens who do not utilize the schools, Bloomfield is paying a huge amount of taxes that go towards the school budget … so to pass it on to the taxpayers would be crazy.”

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