Middle School Sports Eliminated, Staff Cuts In Hillsborough School Budget

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Eliminating middle school sports and staff cuts were among the harsh decisions the Board of Education had to make in the final 2024-25 school budget following the loss of $2.7 million in state aid.

On Monday night, the Board passed the final budget of $145,618,829 for the 2024-25 school year. This is an increase of just over 2 percent or roughly $2.9 million over the 2023-24 budget of $142,705,863. Board members Jane Staats and Jean Trujillo were the only ones to vote against the budget.

"Unfortunately we are once again sharing a budget where we have to focus on what is being cut instead of being able to highlight areas of improvement to our programs," said School Business Administrator Gerald Eckert at the Monday night Board meeting. "Hopefully in upcoming budgets, we can focus on areas of growth rather than cuts."

Superintendent Michael Volpe noted that while the Board is passing a final budget the district could see two-thirds of the state aid cut or $1.7 million returned to the district after the passage of legislation. The legislation passed in the NJ Assembly, however, it must still pass the Senate.

"It is my opinion based upon what I am seeing that this is more likely to happen than not," said Volpe of the legislation.

However, the Board had to still pass a final budget that takes into account the $2.5 million in state aid cuts prior to that vote on May 13.

"If the legislation does pass the senate we will have the opportunity to review this again," said Volpe. "It is very strange Hillsborough for this to be the final budget presentation and to be saying this might not be the final budget. We are in unprecedented times here in the state of New Jersey when it comes to state funding but that's the truth."

Volpe called the final budget passed on Monday the "worst-case scenario.

"If there is a doomsday scenario that [the legislation] doesn’t come through here are the big buckets where we are going to make up that money," said Volpe.

Cuts in the final budget include not filling $1.1 million worth of unfilled referendum positions, not replacing four positions from retiring staff, cutting three staff members, and eliminating middle school sports.

"While I commend the work that went into this to make sure that the students are protected from this and that we're insulating staff from these continued cuts the reduction of middle school sports is something that I think is an incredibly bitter pill at this point," said President of the Hillsborough Education Association Henry Goodhue.

Goodhue suggested the Board look at other areas to cut.

"I also recognize that we've cut to the bone and there are no good choices there is nothing good left to decide in a situation like this after the difficult years that our district has faced but there still are other choices to make," said Goodhue. "If this is the budget that we have to go forward with I would urge the Board to reconsider the cuts to middle school sports."

"There could've been cuts made elsewhere that would not affect students at all or much less," said Board member Jane Staats of the elimination of middle school sports.

Board Vice President Cindy Nurse pointed to the S2 formula and said "Unfortunately, we have a broken system within our state."

Since the S2 state school funding formula began the Hillsborough School District has lost a cumulative $7 million since the 2018-19 school year.

"There are no good choices left," said Nurse of the budget. "As much as I don’t like this I will be voting yes to it because this is where we are. I think this is the best that we can do with the situation."

• Related: Emotions Run High, Tears Flow As Hillsborough Proposes Staff Cuts In School Budget

See the full final budget presentation below:

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