Ridgewood board adopts $138.5 million 2024–25 budget, stays within 2% tax-levy cap

The Ridgewood Public School District board on Monday adopted its final $138,506,402 budget for the 2024–25 school year, preserving existing staff and programs while keeping the local tax levy increase to 2 percent.

Superintendent Doctor Schwarz told the board the district "has stayed under the 2%. We have not cut any programs. We have not cut any staff," and warned the board that a one-time state aid correction that helped balance this year’s budget is expected to expire after this year, creating pressure for future cost-savings.

Business administrator Julie Cott said major cost drivers include salaries and benefits, which together make up ‘‘just over 73%’’ of expenditures, and the administration budgeted a 12% increase for health benefits for 2024–25. She outlined other drivers such as rising special-education out-of-district tuition, transportation (recent route renewals up about 11%), utilities and outsourced maintenance services.

The budget relies on several non-tax sources: roughly $7.3 million in state aid and grants, an anticipated $3.0 million in extraordinary aid for high-cost special-education cases, $3.29 million in miscellaneous income (facility rentals, activity fees and interest), and a planned one-time withdrawal of about $6,840,000 from capital reserves as the local share for three capital projects that received state ROD grants (the state will cover up to 40% of each project).

Cott presented the tax impact: a 2% levy increase equals $2,064,440; for a home assessed at $710,000 she estimated an additional $215.96 per year (about $18 per month). The district elected not to use available banked cap this year.

Board members asked for clarifications about school security staffing. The administration said the budget includes funding to cover salaries for two Class 3 officers for next year (the board-share of salaries was described as roughly $120,000 total rather than a fully subsidized traditional SRO model). Director Friedman and the superintendent said the district will continue discussions with the village and police department about staffing and cost shares.

During two public-comment periods residents praised the district’s fiscal work but urged attention to long-term pressures. Peter Moulton, a resident, warned the board that next year’s contract negotiations and ongoing inflation may require program or tax decisions if funding levels change.

The board moved and seconded the resolution to adopt the final budget; a roll-call vote followed and the budget was approved. The adopted budget was presented as the version approved by the interim executive county superintendent of schools and carries forward the priorities the district presented in its public materials.

Next steps: the board will implement the adopted budget for 2024–25 and continue community outreach on long-term fiscal planning, including ongoing reviews of program cost drivers and potential savings strategies.