Holmdel officials detail 15 certificated reductions, clinician and counselor changes in revised budget

The Holmdel Township School District on Monday outlined changes to the tentative 2026 77 budget that officials say will reduce personnel costs while preserving core services.

Dr. Cascone, speaking to the board, said the budget now reflects 15 full-time certificated position reductions, of which 11 were instructional classroom roles. "We were able to retain nine of those 15 employees by attrition," the presenter said, noting that retirements and internal vacancies absorbed some losses.

The administration described additional staffing impacts: six-and-a-half educational support professionals (including three paraprofessionals and two-and-a-half administrative assistants), reductions of part-time related-arts roles at Village School (0.5 PE and 0.5 art), and cuts to some hourly lunch aides. The district also reduced one elementary counselor; middle- and high-school counselors will remain in place, officials said.

Why some positions were reduced, administrators said, is tied to scheduling and enrollment patterns. Officials pointed to a decline in students continuing into high-school dance cohorts after taking middle-school electives as a key rationale for removing certain related-arts sections. "When you look at the total number of students that are taking dance in middle school ... that 80-some-odd students ... kind of equals out to the 25 or 30 students that are taking it in the high school," the presenter said, adding that many middle-school students drop the elective as they prioritize courses they believe will strengthen postsecondary applications.

Administrators said the tentative budget presentation used general language to protect privacy for impacted staff and to comply with notification rules. The speaker noted two deadlines that shaped outreach: a statutory reduction-in-force notification deadline of May 15 and a contractual notice under the district's agreement with the Education Association set at April 30; the administration said affected staff were informed on March 30.

On student supports, the administration defended a proposed reliance on an outside therapeutic provider, Effective School Solutions, saying it is "financially responsible" and can prevent expensive out-of-district placements that administrators estimated can cost between $150,000 and $200,000 per student. The district said the outside provider offers intensive, in-school therapeutic environments and clinical capabilities that complement, but do not replace, school counselors.

Officials also said a recently negotiated bargaining provision allowing certificated staff to perform four 25-minute lunch duty periods produced savings that helped keep the contract budget-neutral while reducing hourly pay costs and "blue sheet" payouts for substitute coverage.

Board members asked about class-size impact; administrators said kindergarten and first grade remain priorities and that current elementary class sizes are in the low 20s, with second and third grades in the 22 624 range. "One more section in any of these grade levels and it really becomes something," the presenter said, warning that additional cuts would push class sizes to the high 20s.

The presenter concluded that the choices were difficult. "They're all bad decisions now. There's no like, this is a good decision. It's just what's bad and worse," the presenter said, and confirmed the board would move forward with the revised budget that night.