On May 8th the BOE (Hillsborough Board of Education) received confirmation that their application to the state for the Tax Levy Incentive Aid was approved following budget cuts for the 25-26 school year. This entails an increase in taxes of around $20 million dollars to cover costs incurred by the recent decrease in state aid.

While it’s important to acknowledge the weight this places on residents of Hillsborough to make up for state funds, in order to take the first step towards a budget that can benefit taxpayers and students, we cannot go backwards. If the district went along with the proposed budget cuts we would be losing 24 teaching positions, courtesy busing and middle schools sports: all areas we have worked hard as a community to bring back and strengthen after past budget cuts. 

Our focus as a community should be towards working with other counties that have recently begun to see cuts in their annual budgets to reform the current S2 formula. It’s vital to recognize that the tax levy is a direct result of the state aid formula that dictates the amount that is Hillsborough’s “local fair share” towards education. Because many other schools have joined Hillsborough in receiving larger budget cuts, we must strive for a state-level reevaluation of our current funding system to prioritize all NJ schools.

Residents have every right to continue to push back against the raising of taxes to promote affordable living in Hillsborough. However, to provide for a growing Hillsborough and rising high school population, our schools need to be well funded to maintain high home values. In this impossible decision presented to BOE, residents and community officials alike must recognize the strength of unity in using their voices to advocate for an increase in state aid.