Robbinsville school officials are moving forward with significant budget reductions after voters rejected a $5.03 million tax increase last month.
District leaders say cuts to staff, programs and services are now expected as the 2026-27 budget is finalized, with additional impacts anticipated in the following year.
Official results from the Mercer County Clerk show 2,079 voters opposed the referendum while 1,574 supported it, a margin of 56.91% to 43.09%. A total of 3,653 ballots were cast out of 12,361 registered voters.
The ballot question sought approval to exceed New Jersey’s 2% tax levy cap to address ongoing budget pressures and preserve academic and extracurricular programs.
District officials said the proposal was intended to close a structural deficit driven by rising costs, reduced state aid and several years in which the district did not tax to the full amount allowed under state guidelines.
With the referendum defeated, administrators are now shifting from contingency planning to implementation.
Impacts are expected to include cuts to academic electives, student services, sports, clubs and extracurricular programming, along with staffing reductions and larger class sizes.
School officials had warned prior to the vote that failure of the referendum would result in the elimination of more than 20 classroom teaching positions, nine additional student-facing educator roles and other support staff positions.
The district has already eliminated roughly 30 staff positions over the past three years as it attempted to address earlier budget gaps, leaving limited flexibility heading into the upcoming budget cycle.
According to district discussions leading up to the vote, the district faces an annual operating shortfall of about $1.7 million due to the state’s tax cap and declining state aid, a gap that has compounded over time into nearly $23 million in foregone revenue.
Business Administrator Nick Mackres said the district must now move forward with difficult decisions as a result of the vote.
“This result means we must make difficult decisions as we finalize the budget,” Mackres said.
District officials said personnel costs account for the majority of school spending, limiting the district’s ability to make reductions without affecting staffing and classroom instruction.
Superintendent Patrick Pizzo said the district no longer has a mechanism to avoid previously discussed reductions.
“There is no pain-free alternative available,” Pizzo said.
In the days following the vote, attention has increasingly focused on the district’s proposal to eliminate courtesy busing, a change tied to the broader budget adjustments.
Residents raised concerns during the March 23 Township Council meeting, where parents described students facing walks of up to 1.7 miles to school along routes lacking sidewalks or safe shoulders.
The issue was also a central topic at the March 24 Board of Education meeting, where officials said transportation changes would affect more than 600 students.
Under the proposal, busing would no longer be provided for students within the state’s mandated walking distance unless routes are designated as hazardous. Families would have the option to pay for subscription busing at an estimated cost of about $1,350 per student.
During the meeting, students and parents expressed concern about the broader impact of the changes, including larger class sizes, reduced programs and fewer extracurricular opportunities.
The tentative 2026-27 budget includes about $2.4 million in reductions, including staff cuts, program changes and department-wide spending decreases, as the district works to close the gap between revenues and expenses following the failed referendum and a projected reduction in state aid.
The proposal also includes reductions to areas such as mental health services, curriculum and technology, along with the elimination of certain academic and extracurricular programs.
Mayor Mike Todd said township officials have continued discussions with school district leaders to identify possible solutions, including refining which routes may qualify as hazardous.
Todd also pointed to pending state legislation that would provide full funding for transportation along designated hazardous routes and said the Township Council is expected to consider a resolution in support of the measure.
Local officials have also been working with state representatives to seek both short-term financial relief and longer-term changes to the state’s school funding formula.
Todd said the township can advocate for solutions and implement safety measures such as additional crossing guards, but decisions about transportation ultimately rest with the school district.
He also noted that infrastructure improvements such as adding sidewalks would require significant time and investment, making transportation an immediate concern for families.
District officials said they will continue refining the budget in the coming weeks before final adoption, with a focus on maintaining core academic programs while navigating ongoing financial constraints.
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