TOMS RIVER – The Board of Education passed the 2026-27 budget which has a 4.9% increase in the amount to be raised by taxation.
The amount to be raised in taxes will increase by $11,268,738 from this year’s $230,690,903 to next year’s $241,959,641. The total budget will be $306,068,592.
One of the most significant increases from this year to the next is health insurance, which will go up by $6,574,875.
No staff will be lost in this budget, a significant change from previous years when the state aid was cut dramatically.
Multiple towns make up the Toms River Regional School District, and the budget affects each one differently.
Toms River residents will have a 4.6 percent increase, approximately $17.76 per month for a home assessed at the town average of $450,600. The tax rate is $1.077 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Beachwood residents will have a 5.3 percent increase, approximately $13.67 per month for a home assessed at the town average of $208,700. The tax rate is $1.553 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Pine Beach residents will have a 8.2 percent increase, approximately $27.76 per month for a home assessed at the town average of $414,100. The tax rate is $1.061 per $100 of assessed valuation.
South Toms River residents will have a 11.4 percent increase, approximately $20.64 per month on a home assessed at the town average of $171,200. The tax rate is $1.417 per $100 of assessed valuation. The increase for South Toms River is significantly higher because it includes a deferred increase from the 2025-26 school year, the district said.
The last two years, the board voted not to pass the budget. By law, this sends it to the state, which then passed it.
Critics, like South Toms River resident and former board candidate Krista Whittaker, said they expected that the school board would vote the budget down, which would cause it to be passed by the county superintendent on behalf of the state again. They indicated that in the past when this happened, it was done so that the board can pass a budget with a high tax increase without being liable to voters when re-election comes along.
During the board meeting when they voted on the budget, Whittaker said she appreciated that repair of the elevator in South Toms River Elementary was in the budget but asked about the one in Intermediate South that isn’t working.
Lawrence Cuneo also spoke out against the budget. Though he is the mayor of Pine Beach, he didn’t mention his role as an elected official, implying that he was speaking as an individual and not representing the borough government with his remarks.
“New Jersey is evil when it comes to school funding,” he said, citing how the state cut funding for many years, and prevented Toms River schools from making up the difference. “I can not put all the blame on the state.”
For years, the district has been shorted state aid, and he said there was no long-term plan from administration.
“What I do not understand is how and why we were not prepared for this to occur?” he said. “Budgets are tough. Not preparing – knowing what is coming – is inexcusable.”
When there were big plans to save money, such as Toms River’s attempt to bring in Seaside Heights kids, or redistricting, the messaging to the public is poorly done and it fails, he said.
When it came time to vote on the budget, Marisa Matarazzo, a board member representing Toms River, was the lone “no.”
South Toms River’s representative, Joseph Jubert, said “Obviously nobody wants to increase taxes.”
He said Superintendent Michael Citta and Business Administrator William Doering have done a good job maintaining staff and programs despite the increases in utilities and health insurance that everyone is feeling.
“The issue is fair and equitable funding,” he said. He drew a comparison to Newark, which received $50 million more in state aid this year compared to what they got last year, and Paterson, which received $37 million more. “We got $1.7 million (more).” The increase that Newark got alone could have stabilized taxes for a large number of school districts that have had to raise taxes.
The other board members, who also voted yes on the budget, all spoke about how this is a bad position to be in, but it’s the responsible thing to do. As Pine Beach representative Kevin Kidney said, “as adults, we have to take the hit and pay higher taxes” to keep programs for children.
Board President Ashley Lamb of Toms River said that during her six years on the board, this might be the first time she voted “yes” on a budget. “I trust Mr. Citta, Mr. Doering, and (board secretary/director of accounting Wendy) Saxton more than the state,” she said. “I don’t want state monitors.”
She noted that selling the administration building at 1144 Hooper Avenue to the county, which they had done in the past, still kept it in the hands of taxpayers.
Superintendent Citta commended the financial office for bringing in a 4.9 percent increase when many more districts are higher, despite getting 13% of its funding from the state. This forced them to use surplus to keep staff. “I’m proud of this crappy budget. We’re keeping our family together.”
