> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://blog.johnmangini.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Warren's K-8 district put a $53.2 million tax levy in its tentative budget, and enrollment is up 42 students - URL: https://blog.johnmangini.com/school-budget-tentative-2026/ - Published: 2026-03-27T13:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-20T17:53:29.000Z - Description: The tentative 2026-2027 budget totals $68,583,554 across all funds, with a General Fund tax levy of $53,179,465. Advertised October enrollment is 1,734, up from 1,692. The public hearing is April 27. - Author: John Mangini - Tags: Warren 07059, Schools, budget, board of education, enrollment The short answer On March 23, 2026 the Warren Township Schools Board of Education approved a tentative 2026-2027 budget for submission to the Somerset County Executive County Superintendent. Fund 10 totals $59,275,566, funded by a General Fund tax levy of $53,179,465 and State Aid of $3,682,887\. Adding Fund 20 special revenue of $446,209 and Fund 40 debt service of $8,861,779 brings the tentative grand total to $68,583,554\. Advertised enrollment for October 15, 2026 is estimated at 1,734 students, up from 1,692\. The public hearing is set for April 27, 2026. Business Administrator Chris Heagele presented the tentative budget on March 23\. Tentative is the operative word. This is the version that goes to the county superintendent for review, and the numbers can change before adoption. The public hearing date is April 27. This is the K-8 district, so every figure below covers Warren's elementary and middle schools and nothing else. $53,179,465 General Fund tax levy $68,583,554 tentative grand total, all funds 1,734 advertised October 2026 enrollment ## Where the money goes Fund 10 is the operating side of the district and it totals $59,275,566 at the tentative stage. | Line | Purpose | Amount | | ---- | --------------------------- | ----------- | | 11 | Operating Budget | $57,194,773 | | 12 | Capital Outlay | $105,700 | | 13 | Summer School | $351,276 | | 30 | Capital Project Transfer | $1,581,533 | | | Transfer to Charter Schools | $42,284 | | | Fund 10 total | $59,275,566 | Line 11 carries the overwhelming majority. Capital Outlay at $105,700 is small because the capital work in this budget is routed through the Capital Project Transfer on line 30 rather than through outlay. ## Where the money comes from | Source | Amount | | ------------------------------ | ----------- | | General Fund tax levy | $53,179,465 | | State Aid, General Fund | $3,682,887 | | Other revenues | $847,595 | | Fund balance | $587,000 | | Capital reserve withdrawal | $859,819 | | Maintenance reserve withdrawal | $118,800 | | Total | $59,275,566 | The tax levy is roughly 90 percent of Fund 10 and State Aid is roughly 6 percent. Both ratios are mine rather than the district's, computed from the figures in the table. They are the numbers to hold onto. When this district talks about its budget, it is mostly talking about local property taxes. The capital reserve withdrawal of $859,819 is earmarked. It funds Central School parking lot and sidewalk replacements at 54.366 percent of project cost. That percentage is stated to three decimals in the agenda, which tells you it was derived from a specific project total rather than chosen. ## The two adjustments New Jersey caps how much a district can raise the levy, with statutory exceptions. This budget uses two. - Enrollment adjustment above 2 percent: $797,352, under N.J.S.A. 18A:7F-38(b)2 - Health care costs adjustment: $2,363,361, under subsection (d) The health care adjustment is nearly three times the enrollment adjustment. That is the practical shape of this budget. Costs the district does not control are doing more work in the cap math than the additional students are. Maximum travel appropriation was set at $150,000. ## Enrollment is going up Advertised enrollment for October 15, 2026 is estimated at 1,734 students on roll, 1,428 regular education and 306 special education. The prior year figure is 1,692\. That is an increase of 42 students. An advertised enrollment figure is a projection used for budgeting, not a count. The count happens in October. But the direction is the notable part, because it is the assumption underneath the enrollment adjustment above. ## What the Board bought earlier in March The March 9 meeting handled the capital work. That meeting was originally scheduled for February 23 and postponed for inclement weather. The Woodland Parking Lot and Sidewalk and Stirling Road Crosswalk Project went to Paving Materials and Contracting LLC at $982,796.00, a base bid of $571,570 plus four alternates. It was the low bid among six received February 3, 2026. | Bidder | Amount | | ------------------------------------ | ---------- | | Paving Materials and Contracting LLC | $982,796 | | Top Line Construction Corp. | $1,053,600 | | Halecon Inc. | $1,222,500 | | AA Berms LLC | $1,329,664 | | De Sapio Construction | $1,465,000 | | Sea Coast Construction | $1,803,749 | The spread from low to high is more than $820,000 on the same scope, which is a wide field. Six bidders on a paving and sidewalk package is healthy competition. The Woodland Restroom Addition Project went to Westcraft Builders at $125,500.00, low among eleven bids that ranged up to $256,000\. Eleven bidders is a lot for a project of that size. The Board also approved playground equipment replacement from Kompan Inc. through Bergen Bid Co-op BC-BID-24-35: $368,036.73 for Woodland School and $401,304.35 for Angelo L. Tomaso School, a total of $769,341.08\. Buying through an existing cooperative contract is how districts skip a separate bid cycle. Preschool tuition for 2026-2027 was set at $10,150 per year. What I could not verify Every figure here comes from posted Board of Education agendas and the district's User Friendly Budget. Roll call vote tallies for the March 9 and March 23 actions are not publicly posted, so I cannot tell you how any individual Board member voted, or whether any of these items drew a dissent. Treat the actions as taken and the tallies as unknown. ## The date that matters April 27, 2026 is the public hearing on the budget. That is the point at which the tentative figures above become subject to public comment before adoption. If you have something to say about a $53.2 million levy, that is the meeting. Sources 1. Warren Township Schools, Board of Education Meeting Agenda, March 23, 2026\. [https://www.warrentboe.org/\_files/agenda/March%2023,%202026.pdf](https://www.warrentboe.org/%5Ffiles/agenda/March%2023,%202026.pdf?ref=blog.johnmangini.com) 2. Warren Township Schools, Board of Education Meeting Agenda, March 9, 2026\. [https://www.warrentboe.org/\_files/agenda/March%209,%202026.pdf](https://www.warrentboe.org/%5Ffiles/agenda/March%209,%202026.pdf?ref=blog.johnmangini.com) 3. Warren Township Schools, User Friendly Budget 2026-2027\. [https://www.warrentboe.org/pdf/business/budget/User%20Friendly%20Budget%202026-2027.pdf](https://www.warrentboe.org/pdf/business/budget/User%20Friendly%20Budget%202026-2027.pdf?ref=blog.johnmangini.com) ![John Mangini](https://storage.ghost.io/c/f9/d2/f9d2e72e-65c9-4e98-ba1e-1a7bc528bfaa/content/images/2026/08/john-headshot.jpg) John Mangini Broker / Owner, NextHome Premier Warren Township resident and full time broker, serving clients since 1999\. Warren 07059 is written from live Garden State MLS data, township records and primary sources. Every figure is traceable to a source listed above. [732.236.1087](tel:+17322361087) [john@nexthomepremier.com](mailto:john@nexthomepremier.com) 102 Town Center Drive, Warren [JohnMangini.com](https://www.johnmangini.com/?ref=blog.johnmangini.com) [Reviews on Zillow](https://www.zillow.com/profile/John%20Mangini?ref=blog.johnmangini.com) [About this site](https://blog.johnmangini.com/about/)