Significant cuts likely are coming to the Robbinsville Public School District after voters rejected a $5.03 million school tax referendum Tuesday.
Unofficial results show 2,022 voters opposed the measure while 1,503 supported it, a margin of 57.36% to 42.64%. The vote represents roughly a 4-to-3 rejection of the proposal, with 3,525 ballots cast out of 12,361 registered voters.
Election data shows 2,384 residents voted in person on Election Day and 1,141 ballots were cast by mail.
The ballot question sought voter approval to exceed New Jersey’s 2% tax levy cap and raise $5,031,476 to address ongoing budget pressures and preserve academic and extracurricular programs.
School officials said the proposal was designed to help close a structural deficit driven by rising operational costs, flat or constrained state aid, and several years in which the district did not tax to the full amount allowed under state guidelines.
District officials said reductions will now be implemented as part of the 2026-27 school budget.
Impacts are expected to include cuts to academic electives, student services, sports, clubs and extracurricular programming, along with staffing reductions and larger class sizes.
“We respect the decision of our voters and appreciate everyone who participated in the process,” Superintendent Patrick Pizzo said.
“While this outcome presents challenges, we remain committed to delivering a high-quality education for our students and will carefully implement our previously presented plan to minimize student-facing impacts,” Pizzo added.
Robbinsville Mayor Mike Todd said the outcome reflects the difficult choices residents faced while emphasizing continued support for the school district.
“Tonight’s unofficial election results indicate that the School District’s public question did not receive voter approval,” Todd said. “I know this issue has been deeply important to many in our community and I want to thank everyone who took the time to stay informed, engage in the discussion and participate in the vote.”
Todd said township officials will continue working with school and state leaders to address the district’s financial challenges.
“The challenges facing our school district do not disappear with tonight’s result and it will be important for all of us to continue working together to find responsible and sustainable solutions,” Todd said.
School officials had warned in advance of the vote that failure of the referendum would force the district to eliminate more than 20 classroom teaching positions, nine additional student-facing educator roles, and other support staff positions.
Administrators also cautioned that reductions could affect electives, athletics and clubs, and would likely result in increased class sizes across multiple grade levels.
The district has already eliminated roughly 30 staff positions over the past three years as it attempted to close earlier budget gaps.
According to district discussions leading up to the vote, the district faces an annual operating shortfall of roughly $1.7 million due to the state’s property tax cap and declining state aid. Officials said that gap 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 the board finalizes its spending plan.
“This result means we must make difficult decisions as we finalize the 2026-27 budget,” Mackres said. “We will examine every possible area for efficiencies while prioritizing core academic instruction.”
District officials said personnel costs account for the majority of school spending.
Approximately 54% of the budget is allocated to salaries and 16% to employee benefits, according to district data. Buildings and grounds and transportation each account for 7%, while 6% covers out-of-district specialized tuition.
Curriculum, technology, utilities, guidance, insurance and capital outlay each represent about 1% of spending, and roughly 4% of the total budget is designated for miscellaneous expenses such as services, supplies and legal costs.
The referendum would have increased taxes for the owner of a home assessed at the township average of $380,800 by an estimated $42.95 per month in 2026 and $39.01 per month in 2027, based on a historical three-year township ratable growth rate of 0.39%.
Robbinsville voters previously approved a smaller tax levy increase in a March 2024 special election to address a one-year budget shortfall after rejecting a larger proposal during the November 2023 general election.
District officials said they will now move ahead with reductions while continuing to explore other funding options.
School leaders said the district will also pursue additional state aid opportunities, grants and fundraising as they work to develop a longer-term financial strategy.
“We will examine every possible area for efficiencies while prioritizing core academic instruction,” Mackres said.
Earlier this month a school tax funding referendum failed. The budget crisis was the result of declining state aid in recent years. Pictured above is Robbinsville Robbinsville High School.,
