Dover Schools' Balancing Act

The loss of 2026-27 state funding forces Superintendent Luis Jaime, the school board, and taxpayers into difficult decisions.

The school budget issues will still force some of Dover's youngest students to be bused to out-of-town schools. (Photo/DOVERNOW.com)

Dover Schools Superintendent Luis Jaime said the nearly $2 million cut in state aid to the district’s budget for the 2026-27 school year left him in shock.

“I was expecting a reduction. I was not expecting a $2 million reduction,” Jaime said.

The Dover public school district will receive a 3 percent cut to the state aid portion

of its budget for the 2026-27 school year. The district intends to bridge this budgetary gap with an 11 percent tax increase that will add $37.98 per month to the average Dover taxpayer’s bill. Jaime and Atilla Sabahoglu, the district’s business administrator and

board secretary, shared their budget presentation at the April 28 board meeting.

Governor Mikie Sherrill’s budget for the 2026-2027 school year is a record $12.4 billion dollars, an increase of $372 million from last year. And while more than 400 districts have proposed funding increases, 167 districts in the state are struggling to juggle funding cuts while costs rise, especially for health insurance premiums. In Dover, premiums have increased by $5 million, or almost 30 percent, since last school year.

Many districts are facing these budget cuts because of the change in the school funding formula that was enacted in 2018. At this time, the old funding formula was slowly phased out with the intention of shifting aid to historically underfunded districts. But the result has been funding swings and instability for many districts across the state.

Dover hardly stands alone in its budgetary woes.

Many Garden State school districts are facing steep cuts and hard decisions. Jefferson

Township School District is struggling with a $2.9 million deficit, while the Morris School District approved its $155.7 million budget that raised taxes 3.5 percent and cut 21 positions, while Bedminster approved a 6.77 percent tax hike.

Cherry Hill has a $14.5 million budget deficit, which will lead to deep staff cuts and a sharp tax increase for homeowners. Hackensack public schools will lay off nearly 100 employees to handle its own $24 million deficit. Paterson’s $851 million budget came with 89 layoffs and 243 district jobs lost to attrition. And in Ocean Gate, the district’s only school will close after a century due to budgetary issues. Morris County Vocational School District, which has seen a 30 percent spike in student enrollment, received an additional $175,000 in county support.

“These are not abstract numbers; these are real impacts in classrooms. In communities like Dover, where the needs are greater, the margin for absorbing cuts is much smaller,” said state Assemblywoman Aura Dunn (R-25th Dist.).

PROTECTING STUDENTS

For Jaime, it was important for the superintendent to try to preserve the K-12

educational experience that students and their parents expect.

“I want our families to know that we took every consideration into mind, that we are being mindful of class sizes, our supports for our students, being mindful of the programming that we’re offering, and being able to continue to move forward in that. We were going to do as much as possible to make sure that we still maintain that level of education for our kids,” Jaime said.

While the board had to increase taxes again this year, they hoped to lessen the impact as much as possible and show the community that the district was also making unavoidable sacrifices required by the cuts in aid.

“One of the things that I wanted to do as a team and present to the board was a budget that showed less of an increase [in taxes], but also showed the reduction in certain areas in the district so that everybody has a visual to see that, everyone is being affected by the cuts,” Jaime said.

The finance committee’s original budget plan would have increased taxes by close to $50

a month for the average homeowner, but the committee made concessions to

lessen that impact. In addition to a tax increase, the district consolidated

teaching and staff positions where possible, and put many facility projects

on hold.

‘I want our families to know that we took every consideration into mind, that we are being mindful of class sizes, our supports for our students, being mindful of the programming that we’re offering, and being able to continue to move forward in that. We were going to do as much as possible to make sure that we still maintain that level of education for our kids.’ – Dover Schools Superintendent Luis Jaime

The finance committee estimates it has saved approximately $1.1 million by

eliminating or consolidating 10 staffing roles since the beginning of Jaime’s

tenure in 2024. These positions include the director of student intervention

and testing, and a kindergarten teacher assistant.

MAKING HARD DECISIONS

Despite making those difficult personnel decisions, the district was

forced to put other work on hold due to funding losses.

“We have to definitely put the brakes on facilities—a lot of our projects, roofing

projects, the preschool building that we just purchased, HVAC system, hallway upgrades,” Jaime said. He said many of these facility projects can be mediated at a lower cost in the meantime.

One project on hold is the new preschool building the district purchased at 242 Route

46 in Dover last year. The building is slated to become a preschool that would house all remaining district preschoolers who presently attend out-of-district schools. Jaime said that between this school year and next, the district has been able to stop working with five private preschool providers to bring 120 students back into the district.

“Three providers were phased out last year as a result of reconfiguring our

available classroom space,” Jaime said.

“Two additional providers will no longer be utilized beginning next school year due to the

opening of the Dover Bridge Academy annex, which will create additional space within the district. In addition, DELC I, our leased preschool facility in Rockaway, will no longer

be used. The students currently attending that program will instead be served at North Dover Elementary School.”

The superintendent said reducing the number of out-of-district placements significantly

lowers transportation expenses. But the savings couldn’t completely remedy the

situation; 222 Dover students will continue to be bused to out-of-district schools as far

as 30 to 45 minutes away. Jaime said he wants to prioritize making all out-of-district students “homegrown” so they can connect with the community.

Dunn feels for Dover’s plight.

“What makes this especially difficult is that Dover is a district that is getting it right. The recognition of Dover Middle School as a National School of Character speaks volumes

about the educators, students, and families who are committed to building a positive,

supportive learning environment,” Dunn said.

Jaime can’t help but worry that the 2027-28 budgeting process will be as challenging as this year’s process.

“Right now, we consolidated a lot in hopes that if next year we find ourselves in the same

situation, we’ll be able to sustain without making any major cuts anywhere. Again, that’s

wishful thinking. Again, I can’t predict what is going to happen next year,” Jaime said.

The district has had to make some difficult decisions to make these budget numbers

work. “Districts like Dover are serving high-need student populations while managing

rising costs in areas like special education, transportation, and student support services.

When aid is reduced, it forces difficult decisions that will ultimately impact both

services and students,” Dunn said.

Dunn has proposed two pieces of legislation to help districts grappling with tough budgetary constraints. The Fairness in Special Education Funding for Student Success Act aims to shift funding for the highest-cost special education placements from local districts to the state. Dunn has also proposed legislation that would update the criteria

for mandating SDA districts. SDA districts are high-need districts where a state agency

funds and oversees 100 percent of their facility costs. Dover is not currently a designated

SDA district, but this legislation could possibly change that.

Jaime is proud of the programming that will continue and be added for students next year, despite these cuts. This includes adding four new electives for middle school

students to expose them to more and varied opportunities, as well as implementing

the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) program for ninth graders, which is aimed at helping students who are metaphorically in the middle of their classes.

This program provides coaching and assistance with study habits and is aimed at helping students prepare for life after high school.

“I just want everyone to know that every decision that was made was calculated. It wasn’t what was easy for us, but what was best for our families and our students,” Jaime said.

He encourages families to get involved and let their voices be heard as the district navigates these adjustments.

“I want more voices from our community. I would love more representation at our board

meetings. I think it’s important for our families and our community to be involved and to

know what’s happening in the district because it allows them to be able to speak to it in

detail,” Jaime said.