Get Details On Toms River Schools' Proposed $306M Budget

TOMS RIVER, NJ — The Toms River Regional Board of Education will hold its Citizens Budget Advisory meeting on Wednesday.

The meeting is the district's annual breakdown of what is in the tentative budget for the coming school year.

The meeting begins at 5:15 p.m. with the swearing in of Jennifer Howe, who has been appointed by the board to fill the remainder of the term vacated by Paola Pascarella, who resigned in February.

Howe served two terms on the board but lost in 2024 when she sought election to a third term.

Pascarella resigned Feb. 18 amid a firestorm. She had blistered Superintendent Michael Citta and other board members during her remarks at the December 2025 board meeting, then did not attend another meeting. At the Feb. 18 meeting, board president Ashley Lamb said the board was about to oust her for failing to report nearly $300,000 of family income on the financial disclosure form Pascarella was required to file with the New Jersey School Ethics Commission.

Pascarella's husband, Kim Pascarella, is the municipal prosecutor for Toms River Township. Neither responded to a request for comment.

The board introduced the tentative $306 million budget for the 2026-27 school year at its March 18 meeting. It includes tax levy increases for the district's four towns.

Citta said the largest increase was in the district's health benefits, which are up $6,574,875, a 13.3 percent rise over 2025-26, according to the district's breakdown.

The district also has to make up for $1 million it received in 2025-26 in a one-time tax levy increase incentive payment.

The Toms River Regional Schools are slated to receive $31,663,676 in state aid for the 2026-27 school year, an increase of $1,792,284 over 2025-26.

The tax levy increase is 4.9 percent overall, but that number is not uniform for the four towns.

Toms River property owners would see a 4.6 percent increase under the proposed budget, an increase of $17.76 per month for a home assessed at the median of $450,600. The proposed tax rate is $1.077 per $100 of assessed value.

In Beachwood, the proposed tax increase is 5.3 percent, which equals $13.67 per month for a home assessed at $208,700. The proposed rate is $1.553 per $100 of assessed value.

Pine Beach property owners would see an increase of 8.2 percent, equalling $27.76 per month for a home assessed at $414,100. The proposed rate is $1.061 per $100 of assessed value.

In South Toms River, the increase would be 11.4 percent, an increase of $20.64 per month on a home assessed at $171,200, with a proposed rate of $1.417. The increase for South Toms River is significantly higher because it includes a deferred increase from the 2025-26 school year, the district said.

The meeting will be held in the media center at Toms River High School North, 1245 Old Freehold Road. The Citizens Budget Advisory meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.