Edison Mayor Calls BOE's Proposed Tax Hike 'Reckless,' Cites Financial Mismanagement

EDISON, NJ — Mayor Sam Joshi on Friday publicly condemned the Edison Township Board of Education's proposed school budget, calling the projected 12 percent tax increase "reckless and irresponsible" and accusing board members of mismanaging more than a hundred million dollars in state aid.

In a video statement released Friday, Joshi said the budget proposal would raise property taxes by hundreds to thousands of dollars per household and accused the nine independently elected board members of jeopardizing fiscal stability for Edison families.

"This budget proposal is reckless and irresponsible," Joshi said. "Edison school board members have jeopardized property tax stabilization and fiscal responsibility."

Joshi said the district received $147 million in state aid over the past four years and failed to manage those funds responsibly. He also disputed the board's framing of the increase as driven by state aid reductions, arguing that a decline of approximately 700 students in enrollment should have reduced — not increased — the cost to educate.

"School board members are trying to trick the public by blaming the increase on a reduction in state aid, when in reality, our enrollment declined by 700 students, which means that our cost to educate should also have gone down," Joshi said.

The Board of Education voted 6-2 in late March to approve a preliminary $372 million budget for the 2026-2027 school year and submit it to Middlesex County for review. The proposal would raise the local tax levy to approximately $263 million — an increase of roughly $28 million over the current year. District enrollment has declined by 778 students over the past year, according to Patch reporting.

Business Administrator Jonathan Toth has said the increase is the product of compounding financial pressures, including a $6 million cumulative hit from state aid cuts over two years, $11 million less in available surplus revenue, a $3.5 million increase in pre-K funding obligations, and $7 million in contractual costs covering salaries, health benefits, out-of-district tuition, and transportation. Edison's state aid was cut by $2.7 million — a 3% reduction — for the 2026-27 year.

Joshi acknowledged Friday that neither his office nor the Township Council has jurisdiction over the school board's budget, as board members are independently elected.

"The mismanagement of finances by the Edison school board falls entirely on the nine independently elected school board members under the current form of government," Joshi said. He added that he was speaking out because the district's decisions have created fear among teachers and staff over potential job losses.

“Their decisions are not fair to taxpayers and have driven fear amongst teachers and staff who have done nothing wrong and now are worried for their own employment,” Joshi said.

Superintendent Edward Aldarelli has previously said there will be no blanket layoffs, though staffing adjustments will reflect the enrollment decline. The preliminary budget is not final and must be reviewed and approved by the Middlesex County executive superintendent. A public hearing with a line-by-line budget presentation is expected in April or May, after which the board will take a final vote.

A Change.org petition demanding the board pause and revise the budget had drawn significant community support, with signers calling the proposed increase a financial shock on families already strained by inflation and rising housing costs.

While neither my office nor the council has authority over this budget, I'm bringing this to your attention because Edison deserves better. My office has heard the public's frustrations loud and clear, but the decisions made by the Board of Education fall squarely on their members, and these elected officials need to do better,” Joshi said.

“As your mayor, I feel it is my responsibility to inform you of the failures of the school board and to advocate on taxpayers' issues."

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