By Wendy Greenberg
The Princeton Public Schools Board of Education passed a 2026-2027 budget that eliminated a previously announced shortfall by reconfiguring some personnel assignments, and eliminating some subscription services, on Tuesday evening, April 28.
One Board member, Adam Bierman, voted against passing the budget. “My vote is largely symbolic,” he said. “PPS faces a volatile future, with many moving parts, some we can control and some we can’t…. Taxes just keep going up … economic diversity built this town … there is another Princeton where affordability is shrinking, hurting our most vulnerable citizens, often minorities . . ..”
The budget passed with all other Board members present giving their approval and thanking Superintendent Michael LaSusa and the administration for their detailed work. To balance the $115 million budget, which necessitates some tax increase, LaSusa described a series of adjustments. These include adjusting the numbers of some grade sections at Littlebrook and Community Park elementary schools (reducing two sections at Littlebrook, and shifting sections, with one less instructional support person in Community Park); holding off rehiring some non-teaching positions; reducing subscription services such as Zoom and Board Docs; and considering student activity fees for Princeton Middle School and Princeton High School, the details of which are not yet settled.
Also, some positions will be reclassified, such as the dean of students to school counselor; coordinator of student health and safety to director of school safety and security; abolishing the food literacy position, and eliminating an assistant position in the library media center (which is not filled currently).
It was recommended that there be dedicated leadership for the English and Social Studies program, resulting in approving a new chair of the Social Studies Department, current teacher Richard Miller, who has been with the district for more than 30 years, many of those in a supervisory capacity. This measure was passed with Board members praising Miller.
Under next year’s budget, the tax levy would be the same as in the preliminary budget — and would result in an increase of approximately $470 for the homeowner assessed at $850,000, about a 4.3 percent increase. Princeton is permitted to go over a 2 percent cap, because its health insurance premiums have increased.
According to the preliminary budget presentation, most of the increases came from salary and benefits, including health benefits. Charter school tuition increases and a delayed municipal sewer charge were among the higher expenditures. Funds from the PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) agreements with the municipality will add to the revenue, as will a state aid increase, on the revenue side.
The superintendent did warn during the March 17 meeting, that while student programs may not be cut this year, there could be some hard choices in the years to come, when “expenses are going to continue to be greater than our revenue.”
The challenge was from health insurance costs, where those expenses are expected to increase from $15.5 million this year to nearly $17.8 million next year.
Also in his preliminary budget presentation, LaSusa noted that the Municipality of Princeton told the district it had not billed schools for water management services, leading to an unexpected $100,000 expense. Additionally, charter school tuition rose $320,000 more than expected, with unexpected placements.
Another area where Princeton gets less money this year is because of a change in the funding mechanism for state aid for special education. Special education aid was based on a statewide 15.9 percent student enrollment. In 2024-25, Princeton received $4,411,650. In 2025-26, it was $4,030,224, and in 2026-2027, it is expected to receive $4,148,120
Last year, however, the state wide decision was made to base funding on the actual percentage of special education students, and Princeton lost 10 percent or so of special education funding because this does not count speech and language services or 504 plans (which provide modifications and accommodations for students.)
Princeton, as a suburban district, relies heavily on the local tax levy, and for the past 15 years has operated on a tight 2 percent state-mandated levy cap. There are some exceptions where a school district can go over the cap, including not using its full taxing authority in a prior year (Princeton had $13,600 available here); and pension growth, an enrollment increase, and health insurance benefit premium increases, which are determined by the state.
In other district news, La Susa, who is the current president of the Garden State Coalition of schools, is now also the recipient of the 2026 New Jersey Association (NJASA) of School Administrators Distinguished Service Award — the highest honor NJASA confers upon its members! LaSusa, past President of NJASA (2023-24), will be formally recognized at the 2026 NJASA Spring Leadership Conference.
Updated April 29.