A few weeks ago, a group of excited students approached me about starting a girls’ volleyball club. They made a great argument. Volleyball is incredibly popular, and we would love to integrate the sport into Robbinsville Public Schools as another enriching program for our students.
Yet, unfortunately, we cannot create additional clubs given our tight finances and limited facilities for the 2025–26 school year.
Our structural deficit, further fueled by inflationary pressures and a chronic lack of adequate state aid, continues to affect our operating budget each year. At our current pace, our revenue will not keep up with our expenses. Without permanently addressing the district’s structural deficit, we will face an estimated shortfall of more than $7 million by the 2028–29 school year.
I know these past few weeks have been difficult as our community has learned about our fiscal challenges. The decisions ahead are significant, but I want to be clear about our path forward. We have a choice. We can continue on our current trajectory, or we can take decisive action to address our revenue shortfall and begin building a sustainable future. We are choosing to design a positive path forward for full consideration by our community; this will be shared in January, as feedback is incorporated into this plan.
To continue delivering the robust learning opportunities our students deserve, we can no longer ignore these issues. Tomorrow’s problems will soon become today’s if they are not addressed.
The request to form a volleyball club is just one example of how our students are already being affected by this growing deficit. More than 40 staff members, including 30 teaching positions, have been eliminated, leading to larger class sizes across grade levels. Several academic programs, such as High School Italian, Theater, Career Exploration, and Virtual Enterprise, have been reduced or discontinued. Other programs, including Dance and various music and arts opportunities, could not be offered at all.
Our sports programs have also been heavily impacted by soaring fees assessed to families this year to help bridge the existing deficit. If our current trajectory continues, we will need to eliminate all middle school sports and many high school sports by the 2026–27 school year. No one wants this to happen.
Other expenses that will need to be reviewed include courtesy busing, mental health services, and professional development for teachers and staff. Our entire school community deserves better.
We must continue to pressure the governor’s office and the Department of Education to provide appropriate state aid. We will also aggressively seek grants to help offset budget constraints.
Fundraising and building-use fees for outside groups are other areas being expanded, but these efforts are meant to supplement student-facing initiatives, not replace existing operational expenses.
We also must have honest conversations with our local property taxpayers, who already shoulder a significant share of education costs. The reductions mentioned would be necessary to align expenses with revenues if our local contribution is not amended, but we cannot cut our way to success. Our students deserve the opportunities that adequate funding makes possible.
When comparing our local tax levy to neighboring towns, a clear difference emerges. Robbinsville taxpayers pay approximately $6,929 per year in school taxes based on the average assessed home value. In Hopewell Township, the average amount is $8,873. In West Windsor, the contribution is $9,144. If this paradigm is to change, it will require the support of the majority of our community.
This is not just about keeping pace with neighboring communities. It is about ensuring a strong school system, which directly affects property values. According to a study from the National Association of Realtors, 53 percent of homebuyers with school-age children consider the strength of local public schools when choosing where to live. Ensuring that our schools thrive benefits not only our students but also the overall stability of our real estate market.
In short, an investment in public education is an investment in the future of all Robbinsville property owners.
We must preserve our teachers and staff to continue and enhance the excellent work they do for our students. The challenges before us are real, but so is our potential. There are no limits to what we can accomplish together.
I believe in our teachers, and I know our community does as well. Together, we can preserve and strengthen the remarkable work already happening in our schools and provide the opportunities our students deserve.
I look forward to continuing to hear from members of the Robbinsville community as we chart a path forward together. It has been a true pleasure getting to know you and learning about your vision for our school district. To our students: please know that we are working every day to ensure you have the academic and extracurricular opportunities you deserve. And to all of our concerned stakeholders, we can only move forward together. The decision ahead will be a collective one, because the choice ultimately belongs to our community.
If we continue working together to address our current shortfalls and create a permanent funding plan, I am confident that one day soon, when I am approached by a group of students seeking to start a new club, my answer will be an enthusiastic yes.
Dr. Patrick Pizzo is Superintendent of the Robbinsville Public Schools.