The Evesham Township Board of Education has approved a budget for 2026-’27 that includes a tax increase of 2% to offset state aid cuts.
The district has faced the cuts since 2018, when the S2 Act was enacted. The measure resulted in less aid to more than 300 state districts and realigned funding with enrollment and local tax capacity. The S2 formula is intended to redistribute money to districts with rising enrollment and lower funding levels.
Evesham’s cumulative aid cuts have totaled $38 million since 2019.
District business administrator and board secretary Jonathan Yates explained that projected revenue shows a 1.47% increase from 2026, or $1.47 million. The local tax levy will include $90.6 million – out of $102.3 million – in anticipated revenue, a $1.7-million increase from 2025-’26.
State aid accounts for $7.5 million, followed by miscellaneous revenue – including interest accrued on school bank accounts and rent from leased space – at $2.2 million. For the average assessed home in the township, the tax levy will be $89.39 for the year, or $7.45 a month.
Yates said the district anticipates $700,000 of Extraordinary Aid from the state, the same amount it got last year.
“(Extraordinary Aid) is aid that is received after the budget year is over,” he explained. “(The district) applies for it to (fund) … certain services for special education that go above and beyond our district’s requirement to provide.”
Yates also pointed out that the state can change its calculation on funding districts at any time.
Among appropriations in the new budget are: $54.8 million for salaries; $27.8 million for employee benefits and district costs; $7.6 million for transportation; $5.1 million for special education; $3.1 million for school operations; $1.7 million for curriculum, personnel and technology; $669,215 for clubs and activities, including advisor and coaching stipends; and $416,384 for discretionary spending.
Yates also said district expenditures continue to outpace revenue, an impediment to balancing the budget every year.
“Our expenses increase at a rate greater than our ability to generate revenues every single year,” he acknowledged.
For every tax dollar spent by the district, 75 to 80% goes to staff salaries and related benefits.
“A reduction in state aid and the S2 implementation forced this district to have to walk off a fiscal cliff by balancing its budget with one-time sources of revenue,” Yates revealed.
To view the final 2026-’27 school budget, visit www.evesham.k12.nj.us/board_of_education.
