School districts across New Jersey are making painful cuts to close budget gaps. Here’s where things stand.
Closing Schools and Positions to Rebuild
In December, Montclair Public Schools announced a plan involving significant staff and program cuts, which took effect on January 5. As the school year comes to a close, Montclair Public Schools will receive a 6% increase in State Aid for the 2026-2027 school year.
In an attempt to reduce the district’s budget deficit, Superintendent Ruth Turner plans to turn Rand Middle School into a pre-k school. Repurposing this school could save the district around $2.3 million a year, as plans have stretched to transferring current students at Rand Middle School to Glenfield Middle School or Buzz Aldrin Middle School.
Montclair parents became concerned with the idea—they gathered in front of Edgemont Elementary School on March 17 to protest yet another school in their community closing down.
Hackensack High School Paraprofessional and Crew coach Myrna Gotrell—who’s also battling Stage 4 cancer—has been fired due to the district’s $24 million budget deficit. Unfortunately, the school’s successful Crew team will also be cut as a result.
“Her [Gotrell] health insurance ends in August of this year, and she is unsure how to afford her daily, life-saving medication, as each pill costs nearly $900,” according to TAPinto Hackensack.
Paterson Public Schools have removed 39 teachers, 109 non-teaching positions and 15 administrative roles in order to keep up with their struggling budget. They also voted to close four elementary schools and raise school property taxes by 8%.
Staff members have spoken out against the cuts. “When you lose experienced teachers, you lose course offerings. You increase class sizes. You reduce opportunities for students,” said teacher Lynn Hazelman.
Jefferson Township’s school district has lost nearly $45 million in state aid since 2017. They’ve previously announced growing class sizes, the closure of Cozy Lake Elementary School and even the possibility of canceling their sports programs.
The board members of East Brunswick’s school district have blamed “rising costs and structural funding challenges” on their $5.6 million budget deficit; while suggesting that increase in state aid has not kept pace with the district’s actual expenses.
The administration stopped short of cutting special education programs, which contribute significantly to the budget deficit. They are considered “mandated services.” Instead, the district will continue to cut teaching jobs to address the shortfall.
Cutting Sports
The West Orange Township school district announced drastic measures to close a budget gap. They will cancel all middle school sports programs—as well as remove 70 full-time positions, consolidate courses, increase class sizes, and restructure parts of the middle school schedule.
Lacey Township in Ocean County is also considering cutting sports programs across every grade level. Their Board of Education members have stated that the district expects to be “short millions of dollars” ahead of the next school year.
Bernards Township School District has taken a different approach—students will pay to participate in sports. The school is charging $50 at William Annin Middle School and $100 at Ridge High School for participating in sports or other activities, according to a $130.1 million budget approved for the upcoming academic year.
Last year, Nutley schools faced a $5.7 million budget gap and reportedly considered cutting sports to make up the difference. However, at a recent board meeting, officials announced that the budget had been balanced.
Beyond sports, music programs are taking a hit. Last week, Hawthorne announced plans to cancel instrumental music lessons during school hours for fourth graders. Starting in the incoming school year, the Board of Education also cut 15 jobs across all five schools, from counseling to maintenance and transportation.
Moving Forward
As the 2025-2026 school year winds down, the picture across New Jersey is one of difficult decisions with no easy answers.
Districts facing budget gaps are weighing the cost of cuts against the cost of inaction. In most cases, the students, teachers, and families are the ones taking the hit. With state aid increases failing to keep pace with rising expenses in many of the districts, it remains to be seen whether pressure eases ahead of next year.
Julia is currently a senior at the Ramapo College of New Jersey studying Journalism while also minoring in Creative Writing and Digital Film. While growing up in Bergen County, she enjoyed exploring new restaurants and landmarks while also taking on different sports such as swimming. At college, she's one of the News Editors and writers at the Ramapo News, often crafting article revolving around entertainment, politics and campus events.