Wayne’s School Budget To Be Introduced: What To Expect

WAYNE — Wayne Township Public Schools is expected to present its tentative budget for the 2026-27 school year this week, and there have been some key indicators for what the public can expect.

During its March 5 meeting, the Wayne Board of Education spoke about what was to be expected of this budget, saying that there was “a higher level of uncertainty than we typically experience at this stage.”

According to school officials, state aid data was late this year. The late funding from the governor is contributing to the uncertainty of the budget.

“It's really interesting because they haven’t extended the amount of time we need to put a budget together,” said Superintendent David Cittadino. “So some people can be late, but not us.”

District Business Administrator Jinnee DeMarco said that a priority of the 2026-27 school year is to avoid staff reduction. The “tight fiscal position” the district is facing makes it difficult to replace staff.

“Retirements and resignations will be carefully evaluated, and positions will only be filled when operationally essential and fiscally responsible,” DeMarco said. “Automatic replacement of vacancies is no longer feasible. In short, we are entering the new budget year in a tight fiscal position.

The district expected several cost increases across the board, including the cost to the district’s lease purchase agreement, which funds “essential operating needs” including Chromebooks, staff laptops, buses, and maintenance vehicles.

The district is also expecting increases to healthcare costs by 30 percent and increases to special education by roughly 11 percent.

With the Department of Education covering only 40 percent of the district’s board share project, the district’s annual debt payment in its operating budget increased by $800,000 from the previous year.

On a “positive note,” as DeMarco puts it, the district will be implementing new initiatives throughout Wayne schools, including a new K-8 science curriculum, AP statistics textbook renewal for Wayne Valley and Wayne Hills schools, and the implementation of “I-Ready,” a K-8 student assessment tool.

The district also plans to implement a number of infrastructure upgrades, including a district-wide Wi-Fi upgrade to 9 schools.

The Wayne Public School’s budget is expected to be formally introduced during Thursday’s Board of Education meeting at 7:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public.